


Bleach: New Moon

by emma_ramen



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, HistuKarin, Honestly Quarantine has me trying new things, My First Fanfic, Not Beta Read, Post-Canon, Shinigami Kurosaki Karin, Slow Burn, What am I doing, Zanpakutou, lots of zanpakuto things, oh there is going to be a lot of swearing in this, peep that twilight ref in the title because I am unoriginal and it fits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:22:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24429430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emma_ramen/pseuds/emma_ramen
Summary: Kurosaki Karin really tried to live a normal life. She got into medical school, ate all her fruits and veggies, and most importantly, she did not interact with spirits. Ya - so much for that. When she starts having weird dreams, she finds her oh-so-normal life flung out the window. She should have known better; she was a Kurosaki after all.Basically this is my take on Karin's journey into her soul reaper powers and eventually romance with a certain someone (ooo I wonder who could it be haha). This is also a the slowest of slow burns.
Relationships: Hanakari Jinta/Kurosaki Yuzu, Hitsugaya Toushirou/Kurosaki Karin, Inoue Orihime/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 48
Kudos: 108





	1. Fire Alarm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya idk why I'm writing this either. I feel like this has been done 100 times but fuck it! This is my first fic sooooo apologies for any mistakes and such. Anyway - let's get this show on the road! Here is a short chapter to start!

Bwam Bwam Bwam!

Karin woke up with a jolt. It was about 3 AM, and the fire alarm was going off. _Again._ This was at least the third time this week. Half asleep, she slammed into shoes and threw on a jacket she “borrowed” from Ichigo and went outside her dorm.

“Jeez… You would think med students would know how to not set the fucking fire alarm off,” Karin scoffed to herself. Hopefully this would be over soon. She stood with her classmates while the alarm blared on.

Kurosaki Karin was a 23-year-old, first-year medical school student. She never expected to end up in medical school, but who else was going to keep the Kurosaki Clinic alive? Honestly, probably Yuzu, seeing as she was also in medical school and defiantly was excelling. Guess some things never change. Speaking of her sister, Karin couldn’t seem to find her among the throng of glassy eyed students. Not that she was looking too hard seeing as the fire alarm had become routine apparently.

 _I had that dream again._ She thought.

For the last month, she had been having this weird-ass reoccurring dream. What was weird was that she couldn’t remember it, and if she did, it was always very hazy. One thing was for certain though, she always woke up sweaty afterwards. That was unforgettable (and annoying). She didn’t have long to think long though because the alarm finally turned off. She followed the other students back into the building and went back to her dorm. Hopefully to sleep peacefully for a few more hours.

A week later, it happened again.

Karin was in a thick temperate forest. The trees were a wide range of yellows, oranges, and reds. The trunks were almost black except for the moss which crawled along most of the rocks and bases of the trees. It was warm and pleasantly humid. If that even existed. However, most importantly, it felt almost like being home; it was familiar. She looked up and despite how bright the glow of the forest was, it was nighttime. The stars above her glimmered, every constellation visible. The moon was full had a tinge of light pink. Something felt off. She had definitely been here before, but how? She could feel something staring at her but couldn’t see it.

_Am I dreaming? This feels way too real to be a dream though…_

Bwam Bwam Bwam!

No matter how often that goddamned alarm went off, it would scare her every time. Her eyes snapped open, and she leaped out of bed. Sweaty. She began to reach for the door but stopped before opening it.

_What the hell? Why is my bed… smoking?!_

Karin ripped her window open in hopes to waft the smoke out. There was no way in hell she had been setting the fire alarm off. She pulled her covers off to find a singular sock and a pile of ashes. She deadpanned. Had she really been tired enough to sleep with socks on?

She inspected the ashes of the presumed used-to-be-sock. It was still warm, and smoke was still lightly emanating from it. The alarm finally turned off.

_What. The. Fuck._

She didn’t want to do this, but when weird shit happens, Karin knows who to go see. During winter break she would have to go pay Urahara a visit. Hopefully it would be nothing, and she could go back to living her normal life. If that was even possible for a Kurosaki that is.


	2. Winter Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploads are going to be irregular as a heads up!

In the time leading up to winter break, not much had changed. Karin still had that dream in the woods with something watching her. Luckily, now, the fire alarm went off only once every other week or so. Karin kept the cause of the frequent fire alarms to herself. One time, one of her friends commented on a pile of ash in her dorm, and the-ever-so-bright Karin told her she had tried to smoke pot. Ya _, real smooth_ on her part. After that dumbass excuse for the actual batshit stuff going down in Kurosaki Karin’s dorm, she “quit smoking” and began to be more careful about cleaning the spontaneous ash piles in her dorm. A trip to Urahara as soon as she got home, unfortunately, became a priority.

Her and Yuzu had decided to go home for winter break much to the excitement of their father who, unsurprisingly, burst into tears upon hearing the news. It’s not like the two were the type to travel during extended breaks anyway, so why goat-chin sobbed tears of joy, Karin didn’t understand.

What she was prepared for though, was the waterworks that greeted her and Yuzu when they got home. Isshin had tackled the girls and hugged them as if his life depended on it. He did so all while blabbering something about how grown-up they were, and how proud their mother would have been. The two settled in, and life seemed to revert to normal fairly fast. Yuzu cooked dinner, Karin cleaned, and their dad continued to rattle off questions about classes. After dinner, Karin intended to visit Urahara’s shop. Until she remembered Yuzu planed on going to see her boyfriend, Jinta, after dinner. As if on cue, Karin saw Yuzu leave to do just that with the biggest simle on her face. The two had met a long time ago when the Karakura Superheroes was still a thing. Since then they became friends until Jinta asked Yuzu out during high school. The two had been dating ever since, and they couldn’t be happier. Karin decided to wait until the morning to visit Urahara’s shop and went back upstairs. There was no way in hell she would ruin her sister’s alone time with her boyfriend.

That night Karin had the dream again. Only this time, she saw two emerald green eyes piercing into her soul from between two tree trunks. She was in the middle of deciding whether to walk towards the eyes or run the opposite direction when a voice told her to wake up. As if on cue, Karin gasped awake drenched in sweat. She bumbled around for anything that had accidentally burned and luckily found nothing.

_Thank god the alarm didn’t go off. Goat-face would have had a meltdown. Ha - meltdown._

She checked her alarm. The little red numbers showed 5:48 AM.

_Might as well as get up… A walk actually sounds pretty nice right now._

She rose from bed, slipped into suitable clothes, and left a note for Yuzu telling her she would be out until late.

Once it was more of an acceptable time, Karin would visit Urahara. Until then, Karin left her house and basked in the early morning air. The early morning dew was still perched frozen on the tips of the grass waiting for the sun to thaw it out, and the air had a bite to it. She absentmindedly walked to the park where her and her friends frequented to play soccer. The field was a little overgrown but ultimately looked the same. She began to reminisce about her friends she used to play soccer with: Royhei, Heita, Kei, and Kazuya. The five of them used to be inseparable, but in high school, they grew apart. It’s not like there was any falling out or anything - they slowly grew apart. That was just life. Karin couldn’t help but also think about their occasional other soccer buddy.

She hadn’t seen Toshiro since her senior year of high school. Toshiro and Karin had been friends since she was 11. He had played soccer with her and her friends, and since then, he came to visit fairly often. Karin rarely knew of his visits beforehand, and the time he was in the world of the living always varied. This never bothered Karin though because she was a human, and he was a soul reaper – and a captain at that. The fact they retained any semblance of a friendship was good enough in Karin’s eyes. Although, she began to wonder if they were _still_ friends. The last time they had been together was five years ago. That was when Karin had almost died, and the two had gotten into a pretty big fight. Even though Karin had forgiven Toshiro after about six months and was ready to apologize, he never came to visit again.

_I hope he’s doing well._

She continued to think as she started to walk towards Urahara’s shop.

Karin guessed it was around 8 am when she arrived at the shop, and wow, how the shop had not changed at all since she had last visited. She walked in to see Tessai.

“Oh! Kurosaki, it’s been a while! How may I help you?” he greeted. Karin had always liked Tessai; he really knew his shit and kept Jinta in line. Therefore, a win-win.

“Uh… is Uraraha here?”

She was going to say more, but Tessai nodded in understanding and went to go find the man in question. While she sat and waited, she looked around. The interior was also unchanged. To think she used to frequent here to get various hollow and ghost repellants.

“I’m guessing you’re not here for your usual,” a voice she knew to be Urahara’s said. Similar to the shop, Urahara had also not changed. He still wore the same clothes, was both suspicious yet reliable, and somehow seemed to always be a step ahead of Karin.

“Ya, I’m not…” she trailed off.

When the shop owner made no move to speak, she continued, “remember when you said if anything strange where to happen you could prepare something? Uh… I’ve been having this weird reoccurring dream, and….”

 _This is so fucking weird to say out loud…_ She took a deep breath.

“I keep setting the fire alarm off?” she finished in doubt. Karin normally didn’t squirm like this, but this shit was embarrassing! She had been unknowingly wreaking havoc on the sleep schedules of hundreds of students and her dorm room. All while she was asleep!

“Why don’t you follow me inside,” Urahara said in full understanding. Karin guessed this was something serious and very real as the shop owner made no jokes about her setting the fire alarm off. She was sure he would eventually though. He led her to a room with a short, circular table and sat down.

“Why don’t you tell me about your dream in detail?”

Karin explained how she always woke up in a strange forest that was bright despite the night sky. She explained how the dream always began peaceful and safe. She felt like the _belonged_ there. She also explained the shift where she felt something looking at her, and how recently, she found those eyes. They were glowing green and captivated her. She couldn’t tell if she should be scared or not. During her monologue, Tessai and Ururu had brought tea and things to nibble on.

Urahara nodded and asked, “anything happen when you wake up?”

“Ya… I wake up sweaty and something has been burned. Most of the time its part my bed sheets. Sometimes its whatever I wore to bed. There were one or two times when nothing was effected.”

“Do you set the fire alarm off every time you have this dream?” he said with a slight snicker. She let it slide.

“I _normally_ set off the fire alarm, but it’s not every time,” she said into the tea she was sipping on. Urahara closed his fan and smiled.

_Oh god…_

“Sounds like your zanpakuto is trying to reach out to you!” he said in a cheery voice.

“My _what_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been thinking about what is canon and what is not and uhh I think I'm going to try and have both the anime and manga be canon? Idk I've seen the anime and but haven't read the manga... so we just gonna have to go on this ride and realize this is a fanfiction and will have inconsistencies haha. All in good fun right!


	3. Filler: The Last Time Toshiro and Karin Saw Each Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos, comments, and hits!! It seriously is so amazing and motivational!!! <3
> 
> As for this chapter: haha I'm impatient and want to write HitsuKarin stuff, soooo I am going to start making these "filler" chapters! They aren't 100% necessary to the story and won't be in chronological order (like this one is a flashback), so if you don't want to read them, ya don't have to!

It was a warm day in Karakura town. Karin was eating lunch with her friends under a tree; currently, they were complaining about their latest test. Now that the weather had warmed up, everyone began to anticipate graduation, and Karin was no exception. She was proud to say that she would be graduating in the top 15% of her class. Well that was if she didn’t fuck up and catch senioritis in these last few months of school.

It was a normal Thursday. After school, she went to one of her friend’s houses, did homework, and then played video games. Karin promised Yuzu she would be home for dinner, so she left her friend’s house just as the sun began to set.

The walk home was peaceful. The sun casted a rich honey-like hue over the whole town. She couldn’t help but bask a little while walking home. There was also a slight breeze which occasionally kicked Karin’s skirt up a little too high. Not that it mattered though because she always wore shorts under her skirt in case of “emergency soccer games,” or at least that’s what she told Yuzu. The shorts were comfy.

Karin sensed it before she saw it. Of fucking course, her nice day had to be ruined by a damn hollow. The hollow appeared in front of her – clearly hungry. This one had a large white mask with horns like a rhino mixed with a ram. Even though the repellant she acquired from Urahara worked, it wasn’t perfect. Hollows still appeared, and she had to gotten used to it. Luckily, she had created a routine which would defeat the hollows. She began reciting the incantation for the only kido spell she knew.

“Bakudo 1: Sai!” Karin projected while sticking her first two fingers out. An unseen force restrained the rhino-ram thing. Next step: kick the shit out of it until it goes away. This step always sucked because she always hurt her leg. Karin didn’t know it, but she was channeling her spiritual pressure into her leg which is why her leg never broke when she attacked a hollow. She was lucky to get out with just bruises honestly.

She ran at the hollow, battle cry ready to go. With a jump up, she was ready to swing her leg, but the hollow disappeared.

_Where di-_

The hollow appeared behind her, its arms somehow free, and slammed Karin into an alley.

_Ow! Shit! Shit! Shit!_

Karin just barely dodged the next swing. Her body lay crumpled and still. A chain connecting it to where she was standing currently.

_What the hell? Am I-_

Another swing. Another barely made dodge. She knew she couldn’t keep this up forever. She tried her kido again but to no avail.

_Is anyone going to come?_

It was a matter of time until the hollow hit her. And oh, did it hit her. Her chain rattled and strained. She could have _sworn_ she felt it try and pop apart. She smashed onto the ground. Yup - she was going to die here.

Time slowed as Karin laid on the ground below her. This was really going to be her end huh. Death by hollow.

_Guess it’s pretty fitting for a Kurosaki._

She began to think of Yuzu. Tears pricked her eyes and threatened to spill. She didn’t want to leave her twin alone. Her chest began to ache around where the chain was. 

However, it seems fate or luck or whatever was out there didn’t want her to die that day. The hollow let out a god-awful shriek as a figure manifested in front of her. His back faced her, and the all too familiar 10 let her know that she was going to be ok. Or, well, at least not dead. Toshiro said nothing as he quickly brandished his sword and finished the hollow. It was annoyingly clear this was a very low-level hollow for him. As the hollow dissipated, he turned to her.

_Oh, how heroic._

Karin really tried to not be angry at him.

“Are you ok?”

She _really_ tried.

“Couldn’t be better,” she eye-rolled at him while she walked back to her body.

Key word: tried.

He also began getting annoyed, “Karin-”

“What?” she turned to him, “I just almost _died_ Toshiro. What do you want?” She shot at him while turning back to her body. She began trying to figure out how to get back in her body. He walked over seeing her struggle.

“Let me help you,” he sighed. Luckily, her soul chain hadn’t broken, so the process wasn’t too difficult.

After she had settled back into her body, the two stood in silence for a beat or two.

Toshiro broke the silence and sighed, “you know you shouldn’t fight hollows, Karin.” He was clearly annoyed but trying to be gentle. After all, she had brushed up a little too close to death for his liking. No doubt she was rattled.

“Then what am I _supposed_ to do?!” she flung her arms over her head. Defiantly rattled.

Before he could respond, she added, “wait for a soul reaper to show up? And almost die like I did today?!”

“Of course not! You’re supposed to run away so that a soul reaper can handle it! Not take it head on!” They had had a conversation similar to this before.

“This would have never happened if you taught me an offensive kido spell,” Karin looked away from him. Was this rehashing an old fight? Yes. Did she still think she was right and needed a real way to defend herself from hollows? Yes.

“Karin, you know I taught you that spell to protect you. The idea was that you would restrain the hollow and find safety,” he said knowing full well that they were going to have this conversation again.

About a year or so ago, on one of his day trips to visit Karin, he noticed she was limping. Much to his frustration, Karin had nonchalantly informed him that she was fighting hollows by _kicking_ them. He seriously couldn’t believe her sometimes. Her bravery was both something that made him proud to call her his friend but also pissed him off to no end. _It was dangerous._ She had actually demonstrated just how dangerous it was when a hollow attacked that same day. While they fought the hollow, he observed just how she was defeating hollows and fucking up her leg. Toshiro thought if Karin could unknowingly concentrate her spiritual pressure to her shin, then she could probably learn some kido. It’s also not like he didn’t expect her to become a soul reaper when she died after living a long, happy life. So really, he was just teaching her something she would learn eventually. The added bonus was that she would stop hurting her leg and be able to live said long and happy life with no hollow-fighting. Of course, Karin had wanted to learn a spell to attack the hollows. The two bickered but compromised with Karin learning Bakudo 1: Sai: a kido spell which causes its target’s arms to lock behind its back. He thought he had made the purpose of the kido spell crystal clear to Karin, but her stubborn ass apparently didn’t listen. What was he going to do with her?

“Toshiro, I don’t think you understand; I _need_ to be able to fight hollows. If I just haul ass, they will either find me again, or worse, hurt someone else! Why would I let that happen if I can do something about it?!” Oh, Karin was getting heated.

“Because the soul reaper posted here will take care of it! That’s their _job_ , Karin! Besides, why the fuck would I enable this behavior and allow you to run around like your brother?! It’s dangerous!! Do you have any idea how often he was close to death? Like hell I’m letting you do that.”

She was fucking pissed, “Do you not understand that I actively try to steer clear of _your_ world? It’s _your_ world which is fucking up right now! Do you know how many souls I’ve seen recently? Did you know there have been more hollows too? I can tell because the shit Urahara gives me actually fucking works when there’s a _normal_ number of hollows and souls. But where the hell have _you_ been!? How the hell would _you_ know that? How the hell would _you_ know what I do? You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t do, asshole. If you really wanted me to live a goddamn normal life, then why do you keep visiting me! Since when is a best friend that’s essentially a ghost a _normal_ thing?”

Karin knew she went too far. She could practically _see_ her words cut him more than any hollow could even dream of doing. But she felt no remorse. Maybe one day she would, but right now, she needed to get through his thick skull. This had to have been the third or fourth time they talked about this and the second time they fought about it.

They both knew Karin wanted to live a normal life. What Toshiro couldn’t seem to understand was given her circumstances, her normal life was going to look different than other human’s lives. Defending herself from hollows and living with ghosts was just going to have to be her normal. She was a Kurosaki after all, and a Kurosaki with a pretty substantial spiritual pressure at that.

What Karin didn’t know, and what Toshiro couldn’t get her to understand was that every time she tried to kick ass and take names, her spiritual pressure would raise as a result. Thus, creating a cycle of more hollows and more danger. Karin’s spiritual pressure had been raising ever since Toshiro had met her, but if he could keep it from raising more, of course he would. He promised not only his former captain and Ichigo that he would keep her safe, he also promised himself. Karin was a once in-a-life-time friend. He yearned for her to live a full and happy life. _A life he never got to experience._

Karin’s words stung. Did he really have to leave for her to experience a normal life? She was his best friend. In many ways, she was his _only_ friend. But she was right. A soul reaper for a best friend was not normal.

He looked into her eyes – this being the first time they had really made eye contact since the beginning of the conversation. He began to think back at all the fond memories he had with her: when he had realized her father was his former captain, when she first visited him in the soul society, earlier this year when she bribed him with banana bread to be her date to the winter formal, the countless times they had visited Grandma Haru even after she past, as well as the time she asked him to call her by her first name which of course resulted in a soccer match. Yes, he was fucking livid at her right now, but he was also hurt and unbelievably scared.

_Karin had almost died._

He needed to cool down.

“You’re right. It’s not. I hope you live a nice life,” he said, and flash stepped away.

He would be the first one to admit that the last part was a little much. Especially because he didn’t intend on never seeing her again. They would take a break from each other. She would continue school. He would continue work. Then, in a few months they would talk about what had happened, apologize, and move on. They always did that whenever they fought. But he had made it sound final anyway. He masked his spiritual pressure and made sure Karin made it home safely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if y'all like these kind of chapters! I am thinking of doing more of them (especially once Karin gets her soul reaper tingz and befriends all of squad 10 - like think of the mayhem).
> 
> Next chapter will be back to the main story!


	4. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the groundwork has been set, I think the story is going to move a little faster after this chapter! 
> 
> Also: Thank you so much to everyone who is leaving comments and kudos! It really means a lot!! <3

Karin left Urahara’s shop by mid-afternoon. He had explained to her everything about zanpakuto and what was probably happening to her. She had a zanpakuto, and it was trying to reach out and manifest itself. Why it was doing so was still a mystery, but Urahara had said it was probably due to how high her spiritual pressure had gotten. The conversation had also turned into an explanation about soul reapers, their job, abilities, spiritual pressure, the soul society, and he even told her stories about her brother that she had never heard. After Ichigo saved the world, him, her father, and Orihime had told her and Yuzu everything about their hidden lives. Well – almost everything it seemed. While Karin was beginning to leave, Yoruichi popped in and offered to help with Urahara the next morning. While she wasn’t there long, Karin felt that she might be seeing more of the purple-haired, literal cat lady in the future.

She walked home looking at the sky with her hands behind her head. All of this was a lot to take in. Karin’s brain was swimming. So, her zanpakuto was trying to manifest itself. Urahara had also guessed it was probably some sort of fire, heat, or smoke type sword which would explain the “fire alarm and mysterious destruction activities” that had been occurring. Which, while a massive pain in the ass, Karin had to admit sounded cool as shit!

_Oh, I hope my sword is as cool as Ichigo’s - preferably cooler…_

Karin still tried to cling to retaining a normal life, but she did have to admit… this stuff was pretty fucking interesting. Being a spiritual sword wielding badass sounded like a very her thing to do…

She shook her head and tried to suppress the buzzing excitement which had been building at her chest and wandered around town. She was still trying to fully comprehend everything she had just been told.

 _Maybe I should give up on this ‘normal’ thing,_ she thought as the city soon began to glow with the setting sun.

She walked pass countless shops. Maybe she could live this Hannah Montana style double life if she was careful. After all, Urahara told her there was nothing she could do to stop her zanpakuto from manifesting. The fact it was manifesting while she was _alive_ was kinda a big deal in and of itself. Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi all said they had never heard of a zanpakuto manifesting in a human unprompted. Karin would be lying if she said that didn’t gas her up a lot. The buzz of excitement she had tried to suppress returned. Her heart and her mind were at odds with each other. She had promised herself she would live a normal life, but if there were ever going to be a sign to tell her a normal life wasn’t for her, this would definitely be it.

Once the shops lit the area and the sun had fully set, Karin began to return home. The crisp evening air helping to give her some form of resolve. She would continue training with Urahara and Yoruichi until she could get a handle of things. Then she would live her normal life, and when necessary, fight hollows and help souls move on. All in secrecy of course. She would tell no one but Tessai and her two new teachers. _That was going to take some getting used to._ She would keep if from her father, from Ichigo and his family, from any soul reaper, and even from Yuzu. It was perfect! She would stop setting the fire alarms off, and she could protect herself and everyone around her! It was a win-win. She couldn’t see any downside to her new idea.

* * *

“I see no problem in that,” Urahara said to Karin as he led her to a ladder. It was too early for a day she didn’t have classes, but Kurosaki Karin was told by Urahara to be at his shop by 6 AM. So, you bet your ass she was going to be there at least five minutes early! After all the weird shit Ichigo had told her about Urahara, Karin definitely didn’t want to be on his bad side. Not that she was scared of Urahara or anything… Just somehow, Karin knew she should take all of this seriously. She would never admit though that she also was antsy leaving the house this morning because she was maybe, just a little bit, quite possibly, the smallest amount excited. Hence why she immediately began talking Urahara’s ear off about her “great compromise” she had come to last night. Her new teacher smirked before jumping down the _massive hole in the floor!?_

_What the hell am I getting myself into – oh god._

Tessai looked at her expectantly, and Karin began her decent _using_ the ladder. Maybe jumping down would be a later lesson.

“It’s actually quite a good idea… until you get the hang of things.”

She jumped off the ladder and joined her teacher.

“Until I get the hang of things? I was thinking this would be more of a forever thing.”

“Unfortunately, Karin, eventually the soul society will figure it out.”

“They won’t,” her stubborn streak beginning to show itself.

“Ah, but they well my dear student~ they always do eventually,” Urahara said with a grin and a flourish of his fan.

_Well fuck, maybe coming here wasn’t the best idea._

“Ok, lesson one! Your zanpakuto is trying to connect to you while your dreaming. While going back to sleep may sound nice, you don’t actually have to be dreaming to connect to your zanpakuto. Today, you are going to try preforming Jinzen. This is a meditation technique used by soul reapers, so please take a seat.”

Karin sat in front of Urahara who had done the same. He left his cane by his side and his fan was out of sight.

“Normally, you place your sword near you and begin to meditate. However, as you don’t have your sword yet, sitting here and trying to reach out should work.”

“I don’t see your sword anywhere,” Karin sassed to which Urahara smiled an ominous smile that sent shivers down her back. It was almost like he was _expecting_ her to ask that. With the cane, Urahara pulled the handle to reveal a blade to which he stabbed into the ground between them.

Karin’s eyes went wide, “You had a sword in there his whole time? All those times we were in trouble, you neglected to use your secret cane sword?!”

Urahara genuinely laughed at this, “oh Karin, you have so much to learn~” He stood up throwing a “good luck” and left.

“Wait! What am I supposed to do?”

_Man, what the fuck am I getting myself into._

She stared at the sword left in the ground. So… sit and find her zanpakuto. Sure, ok. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

Nothing.

She had to have been sitting for five minutes. She tried again.

Was her zanpakuto nocturnal or something?

Maybe if she tried to say... or think something?

_Uh… hello? Is anyone there?_

God this was weird. She was mentally asking herself if anyone was there. She started to feel like she was losing her marbles. However, her stubbornness wouldn’t let her quit. After 30 minutes, Ururu came give her some food. Karin assumed it was around lunch time. Meaning, the day was still young.

After two hours, Urahara had forgotten where he had placed his sword and came to “check in.”

“Any contact?”

“When you say it like that, it sounds like I’m looking for aliens… which honestly might be easier,” she said with the last part under her breath.

Urahara laughed, “I’m sure your zanpakuto will reach out to you. Remember to look for the connection, Karin!” He retrieved his sword and left Karin with his vague advice for another few hours.

_Look for the connection? What the hell?_

She continued to “look”. Her stubbornness truly a sight to behold.

After five hours of sitting on her ass, Karin was agitated, “why won’t you talk to me! Now is your chance!”

Nothing.

She stood up needing a break.

_Why does my zanpakuto only want to talk when it’s like 3 AM?! Doesn’t it realize I have a life?_

Karin heard a laugh. Expecting Yoruichi, Karin whipped around trying to find her, but no one was near her. Then like lightning, she sat her ass down.

_That was you wasn’t it? There is no way in hell you have been witnessing me trying to talk to you all day to just fucking laugh at me! Hello? Oh, please talk to me!_

Karin listened closely but heard nothing. Urahara came by to tell her it would be best to stop for the day and come again tomorrow. _Thank God._

On her walk home she thought about the laugh she heard. It sounded like a woman’s laugh. Karin wasn’t sure though because honestly, she didn’t know if laughs sounded different based on gender. But who the fuck knows, this was a sword they were talking about. Anything could be possible! What she did know is the laugh did not sound menacing. A total opposite to the eyes she now had been seeing frequently in her dream.

This routine continued for three days. Each morning, Karin would go to the basement in Urahara’s shop and try to communicate. Somedays were better than others, but for the most part, Karin only heard the laugh as soon as she would try to give up. Which was _infuriating_. Her dreams had stopped, so any hope of running towards the eyes and demanding a conversation, was chucked out the door.

On the fourth day, everything felt normal. She sat and waited. Yoruichi had told Karin while she was leaving the previous day to try not concentrating. So, she relaxed and, well, spaced out. And what was fucking wild was, it worked.

Entering her inner world wasn’t anything like the visions in That’s So Raven to which Karin was imagining them to be.

The darkness behind her eyelids melted away to reveal the forest from her dreams. The forest was an old forest; everything looked like it had been growing in its spot for hundreds of years. There were small, low-light plants around Karin’s feet. The tree trunks were a rich coffee color, and some had orange fungi or moss. Rocks, leaves, and fungi covered the dirt below. For the most part, the forest floor was not dense. There were shrubs and a baby tree or two near any decaying logs, but the forest consisted mainly of older, established growth.

The canopy was a whole different story. The forest looked like a temperate forest during fall. The leaves were mainly a range of reds with some leaves being more orange or yellow. What was peculiar was the underside of the leaves. Karin leaned down and picked up one from the leaf litter below. The undersides of the leaves had a soft glow emitting from them. The light wasn’t much from the one leaf, but looking up, the leaves above created enough light to comfortably illuminate the forest below.

Through the gaps in the canopy, the brilliant night sky could be seen. The moon was a beautiful crescent, and if one looked long enough, they could see it was actually pink. Stars of all different hues of white culminated into a sight that would make any person want to stargaze. Karin did so for a little and took a moment to appreciate her surroundings. She had always loved living in the city, but something about this forest – her forest – made her appreciate nature a little bit more. Even if this was all in her head.

_Why didn’t she go to Yoruichi sooner?_

With the sound of rustling, Karin stopped stargazing. The feeling of eyes returning to her from her dreams only this time she wasn’t scared. The eyes were a stark contrast to the rich colored bark and autumn leaves. Karin said nothing and started to walk towards the eyes. The eyes glowed in a similar manner to the leaves only they were a deep green.

“Hey! Are you-” she called out to her assumed-to-be zanpakuto while stumbling. Her forest must be located on a mountain because the terrain was uneven. The eyes began to move. Karin followed.

“Oi! Why do you keep moving? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to talk to you?!” Karin began to haul ass to try to catch up. The eyes led her to a small clearing. Karin stood in the middle in awe. It was darker there. The moon and stars could clearly be seen. The grass was dark green and thick, and red flowers dotted the area. Fireflies flew around adding to the ambient light in the darker clearing. The clearing itself was level, but in the distance, mountains could be seen.

She looked ahead at the eyes.

“Of course, I know how long you have been trying to talk to me, but you weren’t listening,” a female voice spoke. Karin’s zanpakuto stepped into the clearing.

“No fucking way!” Karin gasped. Before her was a tiger. The tiger had the eyes Karin had been following. The tiger’s stripes were standard, but its fur had a similar effect like leaves. The tiger was faintly… glowing? Upon closer inspection, Karin came to realize the tiger was made of fire. The fire was subtle which was uncharacteristic of elemental creatures, but it was definitely there. Her sleep deprived classmates and charred dorm items could vouch for that.

“You're so cool!” Karin exclaimed. So much for suppressing her excitement.

The tiger chuckled at her, “I am happy you think that. I have been trying- ”

Seemingly in a flash, Karin was back in Urahara’s basement. Of course, it couldn’t be that easy.

_Ow! Fuck!_

The air around her felt thick and heavy. Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai flash stepped to her. Karin’s head was pounding. Yoruichi’s mouth was moving, but Karin couldn’t hear her. What happened next was a blur. The three continued to try to talk to her. Tessai restrained her, and there was a large flash of light. She wasn’t sure how long that whole ordeal happened, but once her headache began to dissipate, she found only Yoruichi.

“Tessai is bringing you some water, and Kisuke will be back soon,” Yoruichi was smirking at her.

Karin threw her a puzzled look and got up into a sitting position. When did she end up laying down? Karin’s eyes fell to the sword next to her. It was shorter than a katana but plenty long. The whole sword was black and, honestly, very standard looking. She didn’t think anything of it.

“Whose is that?”

“That’s yours.”

“What?” There was no way that was her sword. It was so… boring? She picked it up and unsheathed it. The sword really was boring. _It was so normal._

 _Disappointed by normal. How hypocritical. Or… honest?_ Those were thoughts Karin wasn’t ready to think about yet. She sheathed her sword. Tessai had joined them and offered Karin a glass of water which she gladly accepted with a “thank you.”

“I’m guessing you were able to enter your inner world, and in doing so, it triggered your zanpakuto to manifest which I imagine would be what just happened,” Yoruichi explained.

“But I don’t know her name. Isn’t that kinda important?” Karin gulped down the water.

Yoruichi shrugged and smirked again, “You’ll learn it eventually. You haven’t looked behind you yet have you.”

_What?_

Karin did just that, and she saw _her face_. Karin jumped up seeing her body lying on the ground.

She pointed, “When did? I’m not – wait – did I just die?!” Unlike when she was a senior in high school, Karin had no chain attaching her to her body, and her clothes had been replaced with the same clothes soul reapers wore.

“Nope! You simply manifested your zanpakuto which I guess triggered your soul reaper genetics. It’s quite fascinating actually. How do you feel?” Urahara had returned. There was a glint in his eye which unnerved Karin a little. Urahara was a researcher after all, and Karin had just “done” something which isn’t documented anywhere.

_Oh God…_

“I…um…. I feel fine?” Karin answered.

“Great! I have so many questions to ask you~ We can do so over lunch! But first, here!” Urahara handed her a cloak. Tessai took his leave in favor of preparing lunch; he had a new recipe Yuzu had shown him which he was dying to try.

“Your spiritual pressure has increased substantially. Please wear this at all times until we can teach you how to suppress it. It will keep your spiritual pressure hidden so that hollows… or soul reapers, won’t be able to sense you.”

Karin was nearly speechless, “wow, thank you Urahara.”

He waved his fan, “No worries~ but please remember, this is like training wheels. One day, I will take it back.”

“I understand.”

“Perfect! Now let’s go upstairs and talk about that new outfit and sword you got.”

_This was going to be a long day._

Oh, and it certainly was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I feel like this story is a big ass cliche, but even if it is, I'm having fun writing it! I hope you enjoy reading it! <3


	5. New Generation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your support!! It's still wild to me that people actually read my work and enjoy it?? It seriously means a lot!! <3
> 
> Also: never once did I think I'd be writing Ichihime but I guess here we are! I personally always shipped Ichiruki, but really the only ship I was super into was Hitsukarin (hence all this shabang). So even though they will be a smaller part in this story, I hope I write them well because I'm really not that well versed in their dynamic!

Karin was exhausted. Urahara had kept her much later than normal, so she was currently sprinting home in time for dinner. Since her zanpakuto and soul reaper abilities had manifested the day prior, Urahara had been doing all kinds of tests and research on her. While Karin was being “observed for scientific purposes,” Yoruichi began teaching her basic techniques including how to control her spiritual pressure. Training always went without a hitch, and it wasn't until it was time to leave that Karin remembered her lab rat status. Just like yesterday, Urahara had said there were “just a few more things” he wanted to ask or see. Hence why she was almost late for dinner. Again.

When she finally made it home, she bust through the front door prepared with an excuse and apology. What she was not prepared for though, were the three people sitting in the living room.

“Yo.”

Her mouth hung open. Ichigo, Orihime, and Kazui all sat in the living room of their dad’s place. She looked at all three of them. They really were such a happy family.

_Ichigo really fit domestic life well._

Karin gave them her biggest grin, “It’s been a while.”

_I’ve missed them so much. Holy shit._

The rest of the evening went well. Everyone talked freely, and surprisingly, goat-chin only cried twice. Which might honestly be a record. He cried when Kazui showed off his soul reaper form while claiming, “Kazui is the cutest soul reaper alive!” Which, Karin absolutely agreed with. She loved her nephew so much it almost hurt. In fact, she slightly blamed him for her newfound cute aggression. But who wouldn’t develop cute aggression after meeting a kid like him? His little hoodie when he was in soul reaper form? Absolutely undeniably too fucking cute. Even the thought of it was almost too much.

While goat-face was telling Kazui all about his family in the Soul Society, the Shibas, Karin couldn’t help but let her mind wander. _Would everyone be ok with my new soul reaper powers? Would Kazui become like Ichigo? Will I become like Ichigo? Mmm. Maybe I can solidify my status as ‘coolest aunt’ if we fight hollows together._ She smirked at that last thought.

The second time goat-chin cried was when Ichigo, Orihime, and Kazui left which was to be expected.

* * *

That night, Karin accidentally entered her inner world. It had been two days since she had been there. She wandered around the wood until she found her zanpakuto’s eyes.

“Hey! You were saying I wasn’t listening, but I am now! What's your name?” Karin called out.

“Now is not the time. You have a hard time controlling your spiritual pressure when you are asleep.” her zanpakuto bellowed.

And with that, Karin woke up in a sweat.

* * *

The next morning, Karin asked Yoruichi if she could use the morning to try and talk to her zanpakuto. Thankfully, her teacher agreed, so Karin sat and placed her sword in her lap. Entering her inner world had gotten so much easier after she had done it a few times. Karin ran to the clearing where her zanpakuto normally inhabited.

Out of breath she called, “I’m here now!”

After a few seconds, the large, glowing tiger appeared. Karin never realized how tall the tiger was.

“You know my name.”

“No, I don’t”

“You need to fully accept me. Fully accept you. Once you do, call for me.”

_Why is everything a fucking riddle._

“It’s not. You are in conflict with yourself. I will not work with you until you make a decision.”

_Did she just-_

“We are in your head. Of course, I can read your thoughts.”

Karin’s jaw dropped. _Wow I’m really a dumbass haha._

“Yes, yes you are,” her zanpakuto sassed.

“Well if I am a dumbass, doesn’t that make you a dumbass too?” Karin sassed back. She had a feeling her and her zanpakuto were going to get along just fine.

“Ha! I suppose it does. Now back to the topic at hand, do you actually want this?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t bullshit me. You have to accept me and yourself wholeheartedly if you wish to yield my power.”

Karin stood in silence thinking.

Her zanpakuto continued, “You know you have to stop clinging to this false idea of normal, Karin.”

“But Yuzu-”

“Will be fine.”

Her zanpakuto had a point. Yuzu started gaining the ability to see spirits in high school, and Jinta had been teaching her things like how to avoid hollows. Yuzu was an adult who could take care of herself. Plus, it wasn’t like Karin planned on dying anytime soon. Even if she did, it wasn’t like she would lose contact with her family.

As she accepted her new reality, it felt like a weight had begun to lift off of Karin’s shoulders. Then it clicked.

“Kungetsu.”

With a dramatic flash, Karin came out of her inner world. She wasn't sweaty this time. Instead she felt warm and almot fuzzy? It was difficult to explain, but she felt right. She felt _whole._

“You should check the blade.” Karin could almost hear Kungetsu's smirk and followed her suggestion. The sheathed sword remained unassuming, but upon unsheathing, the blade had changed. The once silver blade was now black with a glowing hot tip. It looked kind of like it was taken from a blacksmith before being cooled. The sword was comfortably warm to the touch. Karin was ecstatic. Her zanpakuto was, in her humble opinion, a pretty badass zanpakuto. And of course, all she could do was scream in excitement because her brain had completely short circuited. Kungetsu continued to laugh as Yoruichi came to see what all the commotion was about. Karin continued to freak-out as she showed her the sword.

“I guess we should start shikai training tomorrow,” her teacher crossed her arms, “after you can catch me using flash step.” Yoruichi had been teaching Karin said technique since the beginning of her training, but she had still not successfully caught the flash step master yet.

“Oh, you’re so on!” And with that Karin failed to catch her teacher yet again. To be fair she had come super close at least two times, but a loss was still a loss.

Before returning home, per-usual routine now, Urahara had many questions. As he was inspecting her zanpakuto, a presence appeared. A hollow.

“Guess you can practice handling your zanpakuto tonight,” Yoruichi said looking in the direction of the hollow’s presence.

“You can leave your body here and pick it up once you’re done.” Urahara said while tossing Kungetsu to her.

“I can’t wait to hear all about it~” He said while waving her off.

Her two teachers made no move to follow, so Karin sheathed her sword and put her hood on as she began to flash step away.

The hollow was located several blocks from the shop and screeched once it spotted her. It had cornered a small boy but moved away in favor of attacking her. The little boy had visibly been crying.

“Run away!” She yelled. The boy nodded his head and began to run towards the park behind him. Once he was a safe distance away, Karin unsheathed Kungetsu. Her blade provided a soft glow much like the leaves in her inner world.

 _I enjoy the consistency_ , Karin laughed to her zanpakuto.

“I have to stay on brand you know,” Kungetsu laughed back.

Karin lunged at the hollow. She was still shaky with sword fighting, so the fact the hollow blocked her and flung her across the road really didn’t come as a surprise. Karin bounced back up and tried to flash step behind the hollow. Before she could slash its back, it turned around and backhanded her.

“You really need to learn to use a sword,” Kungetsu sassed.

_Ya, no shit._

“Try going from above.”

Karin did just that. She jumped up and raised her sword above her head. Once close enough, she slashed down with all of her force on the hollow’s mask. A satisfying crack echoed off the buildings nearby. Karin grinned as she watched the monster before her turn to dust and disappear. She had just done _that_ with no kido, no kicking, and with little to no injuries.

“Easier with a real weapon isn’t it?” Kungetsu teased.

 _Oh, shut up._ Karin rolled her eyes and went to look for the child to perform a konso. Or try to. She had seen Toshiro do it a few times before, and it didn’t look too complicated. The boy wasn’t too far off and ran over once he saw Karin’s silhouette. He thanked her, and Karin successfully preformed a konso. Who knew how simple it would be! After the boy had vanished, Karin jumped roof to roof back to Urahara’s completely unaware to the person below who watched her cloaked form zip away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for people who want to see the Japanese for her zanpakuto - it's 燻月(くんげつ) which means smoldering moon. I think the kanji is pretty cool looking but idk why the romanization looks weird haha. Likeくんげつ sounds and looks fine but kungetsu doesn't? Idk man. But now my cheesy title makes sense ha. Anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be a filler this is what Karin's soul reaper form looks like kinda dealio and after that we are back to regular story things! I think Rukia and Renji are gonna pop up next chapter ooooo!


	6. Filler: Details about Karin’s Shihakusho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's more of a "this is whats up"/ "this is what will be" kinda chapter! It kinda jumps around in time as a heads up! Thank you so much for your comments and kudos!!

Karin wears the standard issued shihakusho with only a few modifications. The first is that she wears a cape with a hood in order to conceal her spiritual pressure as well as her identity. As known, Urahara gives her this once her powers manifest in order to help Karin not be a literal spiritual beacon for hollows and other trouble. Once her identity is found out (oh how fun that will be), she will not wear the cape anymore. Maybe on occasion she will train with it on if instructed to do so.

~

Karin huffed as she got up for the umpteenth time. Yoruichi and her had begun sparing as well as playing impromptu tag for training that day. Normally Karin trained without the cloak Urahara had given to her, but Yoruichi had decided she should start to train with it on. If she was going to wear it out, she might as well as get comfortable in it. The cloak was hefty and often thwacked Karin’s legs making her less nimble. The hood was no better and loved to fall over her eyes and blind her.

Once she had caught her breath, she sprinted towards her teacher. The two threw punches and kicks at each other, but Karin wasn’t able to land a single hit. Yoruichi feigned a kick and flash stepped away. Karin moved to dodge the imaginary kick but got wrapped up in the cloak and fell on her ass. There was no way in hell she wouldn’t be bruised the next day.

Yet again, Karin got up off the ground to the laughter of her teacher. None of her falls were graceful, and Karin had to admit, she probably did look ridiculous. They continued that dance for the rest of the day resulting in many bruises and laughs. Thankfully, Tessai was kind enough to heal most of Karin’s bruises before she left. That man really was a godsend. 

While the cloak was a hinderance, within the next two days she was able to move normally and land a few hits. Her teacher grinned as Karin grew faster and more agile with the glorified weighted blanket wrapped around her shoulders. _Maybe training Ichigo like this would have helped him slow down,_ her teacher mused while watching her current pupil.

* * *

Another modification is where Karin keeps her sword. Is that even a modification? Oh well. So Kungetsu is a wakizashi which is essentially a short, one-handed katana often used in close combat. Originally, Karin kept her sword on her left hip like most soul reapers do, but after learning shikai, she switches it to her right hip. All of Karin’s modifications are made with mobility and speed in mind, so she keeps her sword on the same side as her dominate hand because she likes to start fighting using a reverse grip. Reverse grip is often used for defense and close combat, but she will readily switch to a normal grip if need be. Karin also prefers to fight in shikai, so the quick access to reverse grip is necessary for her to release her shikai as efficiently as possible.

~

Clank. Clank. Oop-

Karin had lost grip of Kungetsu for the fifth time during her sparring match with Urahara. She had learned her shikai the day prior and was now trying to train said technique. However, every time she had tried to switch into a reverse grip to activate her shikai, either Urahara had been too fast and knocked the sword away or Karin had fumbled. Just recently, Karin had accidentally punched her sword away. She watched in defeat as it bounced to the ground. Everything ached from the numerous cuts she had acquired which was a reason for her decline in coordination.

“You flip grips quite often don’t you,” Urahara pondered while Karin caught her breath. Damn she needed water.

“Maybe try moving your scabbard to make it easier to go into shikai.” _Damn this man and his many good ideas_. Karin followed his suggestion, but before she could say anything or even test it out, Urahara lunged at her. Evidently her brain didn’t quite comprehend what was going on because she cut her side while instinctively trying to hold her sword in a normal grip. _Fuck that stings!_ Urahara didn’t seem to care too much. The new injury wasn’t life threatening, and Tessai could heal her later if needed. So, he attacked her again. And again. And again. And again. Until the beginnings of what would be muscle memory began to form.

Before she left for the day, Urahara assigned Karin homework, so to speak, by saying she wasn’t allowed to use her shikai unless it was during training. Therefore, any hollow killing had to be unreleased blade only.

* * *

The final modification Karin has is her sash. It’s not until later in the story she changes her sash from a standard one to a thicker one after talking to Rangiku. Once again, the switch to a wider, high-waisted sash is for speed and mobility. The bigger belt helps to keep Karin’s top and sleeves from rubbing together. The change is minimal but is enough to make Karin just a little more fast and agile. There is also the added bonus that it shows off the curves she has acquired with age. Unlike Rangiku, Karin does not have a large bow in the front. Instead there is a tiny bow in the back that isn’t really noticeable.

~

“Hey Rangiku, do you ever get scared your boobs are going to fall out of your top?” Karin mused. Her and Rangiku were laying on the couches in the 10th division’s main office. Obviously, Rangiku was not going to do any work. Thus, small talk ensued.

“No haha! Why do you ask?” the lieutenant bubbled over in laughter.

“No particular reason”

“Hmm. Stand up.”

“Why?” Karin was suspicious.

"I have an idea~"

"Absolutely not." Whatever this idea was couldn't be good.

“Fine, I'll go with my second idea~ I want to see you wear my sash!”

Rangiku’s request seemed innocent enough, so Karin stood and switched belts with the blonde.

“Ahh!! Karin~ you really are all grown up! How come you never show these curves off,” Rangiku pouted.

_Ok damn, this might have been a mistake…_

Rangiku made a move to drag Karin out of the office which seemed extremely suspicious. Karin dodged and ran to another part of the office. A game of cat and mouse ensued, and Karin let Rangiku win once she had promised she was only taking Karin to a mirror. The only casualties of their game were a few stacks of papers which had been knocked over. Nothing major.

The two went to the bathrooms, and Karin inspected herself. She… looked good? Her mouth hung open a little which was Rangiku’s cue to completely bombard her in compliments and thinly veiled threats if she didn’t decide to “twin” with her.

“It is comfortable… and surprisingly easy to move in…” Karin hesitated, “the bow isn’t really my style though, and it might get in the way.” Oh, how fast Rangiku yanked the bow to the back would have given squad 2 a run for their money.

“What if you wore it like this? Oh! Here, let me-” she untied the sash and looped it around one more time.

“There! Now the bow is smaller. You can yeet wherever you want!” She declared.

Karin began laughing her ass off. Recently, she had taken it upon herself to teach Rangiku, and sometimes Toshiro, things about the world of the living. Two days ago, she had taught them Vine. It warmed her heart to see Rangiku really try to understand whatever the hell internet humor was. She wondered if TikTok would be too much for their next lesson. _Hmm but frog TikTok is just too good._

“I think… I’ll actually start wearing my belt like this,” Karin smiled to which Rangiku smothered her in response.

“Yay! Here give me mine back, and let’s go get you one!” The blonde was clearly proud of what she just accomplished. Maybe she could get Karin to try her first idea later...

A feint “Matsumoto!” could be heard from down the hall. No doubt Toshiro who had found their office in disarray.

“Ah! We better hurry!!” Rangiku squealed in laughter and grabbed Karin’s hand. The two flash stepped away from the 10th division laughing all the way. Of course, once they were back, they were _both_ forced to do paperwork by a certain captain for making a mess.


	7. Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Karin's conversations with her zanpakuto are hard to write, so what makes sense to me is to write Kungestsu's dialogue like this "blah blah blah", and Karin's will be in italics. Kungetsu is "talking" while Karin thinks in response. Sometimes she might talk back, but then lets just hope that makes sense when it happens. Ya idk either but this is the format imma do. 
> 
> Anyway! Enjoy this chapter!! Thank you so much for any and all the support!! It is still weird to me that people are reading this?? And enjoying it too?? Wild.

It was the day before New Year’s Eve. Karin was again in Urahara’s basement training. She was determined to achieve shikai before returning to school, and she had a feeling that today might be the day. Her routine had become wake up, go train with Yoruichi and Urahara until it was almost impossible to move, ask Tessai nicely to heal her, go home, rinse and repeat.

Recently, Urahara had concluded that Karin had no hollow powers to worry about, so he began taking a more active role in her training. Typically, Karin sword fought with Urahara and practiced hand to hand combat with Yoruichi. On occasion, both her teachers would fight her at the same time. Karin would never admit how _terrifying_ that was. Luckily today, she was sparring with just Urahara.

“Don’t hold back.”

“Oh, but if I didn’t~ You would already be dead. We can’t have that, now can we?” Urahara hadn’t even drawn his sword yet, and Karin was already out of breath. Her thighs burned as she lunged at the shop owner. She aimed at his shoulder swinging will all her might. _Fucking hell._ Mr. hat-and-clogs completely dodged her and used his cane to sweep her feet out from under herself. _Why am I always falling on my ass? Ow!_

Luckily, this bruise rewarded her with Urahara drawing his sword. Maybe rewarded was not the right word because the shop owner gave her no time to recover and swung at her face. Instinctively, she rolled out of the way and popped to her feet. Everything hurt. Everything burned. Her wheezes rather than breaths aiding in the exhaustion. _I can’t…_ wheeze… _I can’t do this much longer._ She tasted iron in her mouth and felt fire in her lungs.

“Karin.” Kungetsu spoke to her. Her brevity saying more than anything. The burning and aching began to fade starting at her feet. Then her legs. Then torso. Back. Hands. Arms. Face. And ended at the crown of her head. She felt warm and grounded. All her tension had melted away. The connection between soul reaper and zanpakuto really was magical. Taking a deep breath in, she put her arms in front of her in an ‘X’ shape. She held her sword in her right hand in a reverse grip. Her left crossed between the other arm and the sword; hand ready to grab the blade.

Running on an instinct she didn’t know existed, she called out, “break, Kungetsu.”

There was a flash of yellow light around the sword as Karin grabbed the blade with her left hand. She pulled both hands apart from each other resulting in the light to disappear. She didn’t get but a nanosecond to admire her new weapon until Urahara came crashing down towards her blade first.

“Oh, congratulations~ Now let’s see what you can do.” His cheeriness irked her. _This is going to hurt._

She blocked the attack using both of the blades in her hands. They were two completely black one-handed scythes attached together by a black chain. She pushed Urahara off and flash stepped to get some distance. _Here goes nothing._ With her right weapon, she threw it at the shop owner. A miss. Grabbing the chain, she yanked it back. She lunged forward opting for close combat. Her teacher blocked the majority of her swings. _Majority._ The hits she landed only resulted in a few cuts to her opponent’s arms and thigh but still! A hit was a hit! She hopped back and tried throwing the scythes from both hands several times. They were fairly easy to block.

“Wrap around his sword.” Kungetsu aided.

So, she did. On her second attempt, she was able to wrap the chain around Urahara’s zanpakuto. The scythe at the end hung seemingly useless. Again, Karin was on autopilot. The shop owner believed he had the upper hand in “trapping” one of Karin’s blades. That’s where he was wrong – Karin’s zanpakuto was a fire-type zanpakuto after all.

“Ignite,” Karin roared. The whole weapon glowed like her sealed zanpakuto and caught on fire. The fire licked at Karin’s skin but didn’t hurt. Her fire couldn’t hurt her. _Thank god that would be bad._ Her teacher was taken by surprise, and Kungetsu took this as their cue.

“Pull!” Karin followed her zanpakuto’s command and yanked the chain back causing Urahara to lose his grip. Thus, Karin forcibly unarmed the former captain.

Karin caught her blade and let Urahara’s fall at her feet. _No fucking way!_ The shock on her face morphed into a smirk as her teacher took out his fan with a thwarp. He was also pleased.

_That’s never going to happen again…_

“Probably not, but I think that should still work on any opponent that doesn’t know your abilities.” Kungetsu mused.

“Isn’t that interesting. Let’s break for lunch and chat~,” he said as he approached his zanpakuto, “then we can try again with that cape of yours.” Karin didn’t have to see his face to know his Cheshire grin was on full display. She was defiantly going to get her ass handed to her later.

* * *

After Tessai healed her enough so she could move tomorrow, Urahara waved Karin over before leaving.

“Just so you know, your brother came in yesterday asking about a mysterious cloaked soul reaper. He saids he has seen them several times now, so please be careful.”

“I will. Thank you for telling me.”

“You could just tell him who you are, Karin.” Serious moments like these with Urahara were never pleasant. They both knew it would be easier if she followed his advice, but Karin was stubborn and unsure.

“I don’t want him to worry about me. He has enough going on, and I don’t need him to go all over-protective big brother on me quite yet.” With that, Urahara waved her off. He warned her that she should get a goodnight’s rest which was code for ‘Yoruichi and I are going to both kick your ass in the name of training.’ _Oh boy._

* * *

It was New Year’s Eve which meant Karin had only a half-day of training. They were planning on having a dinner party with Ichigo, Orihime, and Kazui, so Karin had promised Yuzu she would help set up and cook.

While the two were cooking, Yuzu got a call.

“Oh, it’s Ichigo! I hope everything is alright,” Yuzu mused while answering the call. As her siblings conversed, Karin tended to what would be dinner.

“Sure! Absolutely! Mmhmm. Yup! Ok, love you too! Bye!” Yuzu bounced back into the kitchen.

“Rukia and Renji will be joining us, and I think they are going to bring Ichika!”

The small red-head was also a source or Karin’s cute aggression. She loved her just as much as she loved Kazui. This was going to be a fun night then.

* * *

Dinner had gone smoothly with everyone in high spirits. Renji and Ichigo had threatened to ‘take it outside’ several times to which everyone minus Orihime, Yuzu, and, Kazui had encouraged. Why they didn’t was honestly a shame in Karin’s opinion.

After dinner, the four friends caught up and reminisced about the past. Yuzu, herself, and their dad began soaking dishes, and Kazui and Ichika went upstairs to play. It was all surprisingly domestic. Karin looked around at all the people in their dad's house. Her chest swelled, and a soft smile graced her face. She was truly happy.

After the dishes had been put away, she excused herself to go check on the kids. She had to go solidify her rank as ‘cool aunt’ especially before Ichika went back home. Even though the two weren’t related, Karin still referred to Ichika as her niece, and Ichika called her Aunt Karin.

She found the two in Ichigo’s and now Yuzu’s old room. Ichika was telling Kazui about all the amazing things she had seen in the Soul Society and was trying to get him to come visit again. It was honestly adorable.

“Hey, just checking in on you too. Need anything?” Karin leaned in the doorway.

The two looked at each other and back at their aunt shaking their heads no. Just before Karin could open her mouth to ask if they wanted to play, a familiar presence appeared.

“A hollow.” Kazui said while him and Ichika looked in the direction of the disturbance.

“I’m sure someone downstairs is going to get it. Lemme go check,” Karin pushed off the door and made her way downstairs. The two children had begun talking and laughing like normal completely distracted. Before Karin made it past her old room, she heard the adults downstairs doing the same.

“Karin. You know this is a bad idea.” Kungetsu had become faster at predicting her thoughts. It was both impressive and a bit scary.

_I don’t want to ruin their fun… plus it won’t take that long._

Her zanpakuto said nothing. Karin took that as a go ahead and slipped into her old room. She used the glove Urahara had lent her, popped out, and hid her body in the closet. _That felt… unnatural._

Kungetsu sighed, “if you are going to do this, you better get going.”

Karin hopped out of her window which was still a foreign concept. The only times she left through her window were when Toshiro had occasionally taken her places to stargaze back in high school. She shook her head not allowing her thoughts to wander.

She rapidly approached the hollow which screeched at her. _Did they always have to do that?_ She whipped out her sword and slashed the hollow evenly in two. Defeating hollows had become much easier, but even though she had made record time with that hollow, apparently, she wasn’t fast enough.

“Hey! Who are you?” a voice called out to her. _Renji_.

“Hey! Wait!” he called to her as she flash stepped away. Today was not the day she would reveal herself and definitely not to Renji first. Karin wanted Yuzu to be the first to know. The red-headed soul reaper followed behind Karin. He was fast, but she was faster. Guess that was a perk of being the flash step goddess’s apprentice. Karin blipped all around town until she knew it was safe. Then, she hauled ass home.

Out of breath, she fumbled through her window unaware to the eyes that were staring at her. She went to grab her body which lay on the floor. _Wait. Floor?_ She whipped her eyes around to a pair or orange and a pair of violet eyes staring at her in amazement.

“Aunt Karin, you’re also a soul reaper?” Kazui smiled.

“How come you never told us!” Ichika huffed.

“You really fucked up, my girl.” Kungetsu cackled in Karin’s head.

 _Tell me about it._ Karin quickly raised her finger in a shh-ing manner and slipped into her body.

“I haven’t told anyone yet, so you want to do your Aunt Karin a big favor?” The two children eagerly nodded their heads. Little did Karin know, but the two already thought of her as the cool aunt without her having to do anything. They both admired her and would do anything to make her happy.

“One day I will tell everyone about this, but I still need time to do so. Your Aunt Karin doesn’t want to make people worry, so she is going to wait to say anything until she is stronger. Ok? If you promise to keep my secret, you two can brag about knowing first. How does that sound?” Karin pleaded, and thankfully, it worked. The two gleefully nodded their heads and ran to give their aunt a hug.

“I already think you’re strong, Aunt Karin.”

“Me too! Me too!”

Dear lord she could feel the lump in her throat beginning to form. Since when had she become such a big softie?

“Thank you. I love you two so much.” She squeezed her niece and nephew a little tighter.

“I love you too!” They both said. Karin’s chest began to swell. Neither of them were her’s, but the love and care in which she felt for those two was immense. Who knew she would become so _motherly_? Well, guess it can’t be too far-fetched because of how naturally protective Karin is, but still, she wasn’t normally the crying-type. _Maybe this is hormones…_

“Hey! Is everything ok up there?” Ichigo called.

“Bet I can beat you two down the stairs,” Karin challenged. The children giggled as they raced towards their respective parents.

“Yup. We were just playing,” Karin nonchalantly answered once downstairs.

“Aww did you two have fun with your Aunt Karin?” Ichigo grinned as he scooped Kazui up. If he got gushy with fatherhood, then Karin supposed she would too when she had children. Wild.

Kazui and Ichika exchanged knowing looks with Karin and each other. Leaving her fate, so to speak, in the hands of two children was maybe not one of her brightest moves.

“Yup!” “Ya!” Karin released the breath she was holding and smiled. _I think I’m going to be ok._

* * *

It was Karin and Yuzu’s last day home before the new semester. They were scheduled to leave after lunch. Jinta had come over to spend as much time with Yuzu as possible, and while the two made lunch, Karin popped outside. The route to Urahara’s was practically engraved into her muscles by this point. Her and her teachers had been preparing for this day since Karin’s training began. _It’s crazy to think how much has changed just over winter break._

She met the shop owner at the front of the store. He guided her wordlessly to the back to where she presumed her other teacher and pseudo-lifeline were. _Shit, I never got Tessai a thank you gift,_ she frowned.

“Are you excited to go back to school?” Yoruichi greeted once Karin and Urahara entered the room.

Karin shrugged, “I’m excited to see my friends.”

“and get a good night’s rest I’m sure” The purple haired woman smirked. Oh yes, her alarm triggering days were still hilarious to the denizens of Urahara’s shop, and Karin still felt embarrassed about it. It especially didn’t help that they had started to refer to her as firecracker on occasion. Although, Karin definitely preferred that nickname over Joe Exotic which Jinta had given her. That was terrifying, and the Carole Baskin trap song he set as his ringtone for her was even worse. Even Ururu changed Karin’s contact to ‘Tiger King’. So, yes, Karin liked firecracker much more.

“Ya Ya,” Karin tried to write the joke off.

“So, do you plan on telling Yuzu once you get back to school?” Urahara began.

“I don’t want her to worry.”

“I think you’ll be surprised~.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Her teachers gave each other seemingly knowing glances.

“I’m not sure~” Good lord they were so cryptic.

“In any case, I have a mod soul for you in the event you need to use it,” Urahara continued. He gave her a small purple ball shaped pill. She looked confused, so Urahara explained its purpose. _So that’s what that lion was…_ After, the four conversed about training and when Karin would be back home. Also, Karin remembered to thank Tessai for basically keeping her alive.

“Karin. One last thing before you go,” the shop owner turned serious. _This couldn’t be good._

“If you are going to remain in hiding, please be careful. Renji asked me about a cloaked figure and him and Rukia were quite suspicious.” She had a feeling this was coming but still… _shit._

She promised she would, and began to get up to leave, “I need to get headed.”

“Don’t be a stranger~” Urahara sang as he shooed her away.

“Be safe Ms. Karin.” Tessai waved.

“If you don’t check in, I’m going to kick your ass when you get back!” Yoruichi called as she sprinted to drop kick the young adult. Used to her father’s antics, Karin dodged it and gave her final goodbye. It wasn’t like she was leaving forever, but still; goodbyes were never easy.


	8. Two Peas in a Pod

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some exciting stuff is happening in this chapter and the next one ooooo!! Once again thank you so much for all the support!! I never thought so many people would read a HitsuKarin fic in 2020, but here we are!! Hope you enjoy this chapter!! <3

“Karin!” a cheery voice called. Karin turned to see her sister waving at her. The twins were meeting at a coffee shop to study, and Yuzu had scored them killer spots. They would absolutely be able to slave away at immunology here for their upcoming final. The spring semester had gone fairly well as Karin slipped into a routine.

Karin had named her mod soul, Aki, per her zanpakuto’s request. Kungetsu felt the name was fitting because of how Karin’s inner world looked and how the mod soul acted. Aki was very kind and studious. She wasn’t as outgoing as Karin, but she wasn’t shy either. Aki also had a love of gardening, so now Karin’s room was home to quite a few herbs and houseplants. Aki normally cared for them, so Karin didn’t mind. Hell, Aki and her were discussing growing strawberries, so now even Karin was starting to stop by plant nurseries to see if they had any. For the most part, Aki inhabited the small lion phone charm Karin had gotten years ago, but Karin promised to get her a new ‘body’ once she had gotten home. Luckily, none of Karin’s friends seemed to notice a difference between her and Aki, and Aki had even been pretty great in Karin’s classes. A quick check in with Urahara actually revealed that Urahara made her as a research assistant, so she should know plenty. _Seriously bless that man._

Karin continued to check in with Yoruichi and Urahara monthly. She was sure to tell them if any hollows appeared and if anyone saw her as she dealt with the situation. There weren’t actually many hollows in her area compared to being at home, so she didn’t actually use her powers all too often. The two also started to give her a hard time about not telling Yuzu sooner.

Karin placed her order at the coffee shop, and a soft smile appeared on her face as she recalled the memory.

A few weeks ago, Yuzu and Karin had just finished having an exciting 24th birthday celebration with their friends. The two had had a little to drink during the party and were on their way to Karin’s place to watch a movie and fall asleep. While the twins were debating on either watching Princess Diaries or Ella Enchanted, a hollow wailed in the alley next to them.

Setting the feel-good movie options aside, Karin switched with Aki very clearly not thinking before doing so. Realizing what she had done, Karin stumbled around to Yuzu and tried to start explaining. She couldn’t get a single word out before Yuzu summoned a glowing blue bow and shot the hollow’s leg.

_Guess we both aren’t thinking straight._

Karin leapt into action and sliced the hollow in to two uneven halves. _Hmm maybe I’m tipsier than I thought._

As the monster faded away, the twins faced each other gawking as Aki cackled.

“You’re a soul reaper?” “You’re a quincy?” They screamed in unison.

The two then raced to Karin’s dorm anxious to talk.

“How long?” Karin huffed once she had switched with Aki and closed her door.

“Since last summer-” Yuzu stopped to catch her breath.

“What! For almost a year?! You’re telling me _I_ was the last sibling to get their powers!?” Karin threw her hands to her head. Yuzu had been gaining the ability to see spirits and hollows lately, but full blown quincy powers? She would have never guessed.

Yuzu giggled, “I guess so. But my powers are still weak because I still have a hard time seeing hollows. Urahara said I would probably get stronger with age!”

“Urahara? You were also seeing Urahara?” Karin couldn’t believe. She had had her powers for almost six months, and Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia had seen her! Not to mention Kazui and Ichika literally caught her red handed!!

“Normally Ishida helps me, but I also went to see Urahara for advice.” Her twins words were slightly slurring together.

“Does anyone else know?”

“Kazui and Ichika…”

Karin lost it, “Those two I swear!” She sat down; Yuzu followed. That night the twins spilled everything to each other. Karin explained her absence for most of winter break, the “alternate personality” which was just Aki, and even the fire alarm situation. Yuzu was pretty peeved at the last detail. _Honestly rightfully so._ Yuzu had also explained her powers. With Ichigo and Karin’s spiritual pressures increasing, it triggered Yuzu’s quincy powers to begin to manifest. She couldn’t use them for long, and she had to really concentrate to even see her target. Therefore, she didn’t really train too often. When she did, she normally trained with Ishida. Yuzu had actually gone to consult Urahara the first night during winter break, and he said he believed Yuzu would become just as powerful, if not more powerful, than their mother one day. It would just take time. The two were in shock for most of the night but woke up giggling about how crazy the whole situation was. Over breakfast the next day, Yuzu and Karin promised to tell everyone about their powers by mid summer.

Hearing her name brought her back to the present, and she went to the front of the café to pick up her order. _Geez, Yuzu and I are so similar. Both not wanting to make others worry…_

“It’s almost like you are twins,” Kungetsu’s voice teased.

 _Oh, wow what a smartass,_ Karin rolled her eyes and joined Yuzu at the table. Yuzu’s eyes slowly rolled up towards Karin and a pout formed on her face. Looks like this wasn’t going to be an easy day of studying. Karin sighed and readied herself for the hell she was going to meet her sister in.

* * *

With exams finished, the twins packed up and returned back to their home: Karakura Town. They were greeted at the station by their father who could not be more embarrassing in public. As soon as she saw them, he cried and lunged at the two girls. Karin had to very loudly proclaim, “it’s nice to see you too, dad,” so others would stop looking so concerned.

The girls had two weeks before they would start work. Big perk of taking over the family clinic is that finding summer work wasn’t a hassle. While their father was quite the handful, he was surprisingly professional in the clinic, and he wasn’t afraid to make the girls actually work. Growing up, the Kurosaki children would help in the clinic, but since college, Yuzu and Karin had been pretty much running the clinic in the summers. _Oh, résumé building._

As their dad took them home, Karin and Yuzu shared soft glances. It was nice to be home.

That night after dinner, Yuzu and Karin talked about their plan. They were fairly positive goat-face would be over the moon about their powers, but Ichigo was harder to predict. Ichigo would either be encouraging or very against it and go very overprotective older brother. Orihime would probably be very excited, and Kazui, well, he already knew. The twins decided to tell their family after Ichigo’s birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is gonna be good ;)


	9. Summer Cicadas and Cool Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for commenting, leaving kudos, and reading this fic! They are super motivating!! I hope you all like this chapter!!

Several weeks had passed, and life continued to be normal for the Kurosaki household. Monday through Friday, the twins would work in the clinic pretty much 9-5. Every weekend, Karin would train in Urahara’s basement, and every Sunday, Yuzu would train with Ishida. All in secret of course. To everyone else, Karin was playing soccer, and Yuzu was going to hang out with friends.

Their routine changed recently to accommodate visits from Ichigo and his family. They had started swinging by every Friday for dinner and to help tidy the house. It was really sweet. The orange-headed family was also joined by Ichika. She had been staying with them for a while now, and when Karin asked why, Ichigo just simply stated that Rukia and Renji were on a mission. She tried not to think much about it, but sending a captain and a lieutenant definitely didn’t sit right.

She shook her head and focused on the people in front of her. Ichigo and Orihime were lounging in the living room while watching some TV show happy as can be. Goat-chin was currently out presumably with Dr. Ishida, and Yuzu and Karin were playing with Kazui and Ichika upstairs. The twins had told the two about how they ‘told’ each other about their powers, and the children wouldn’t stop laughing. This prompted a tickle fight between the four of them which lasted until they were all laying on their backs heaving in air. The cicadas buzzing in the background provided a serine summer atmosphere as the twins played with their niece and nephew until it was time for them to leave.

The next day, Karin was about to leave Urahara’s shop when Tessai grabbed her arm and made a shh-ing gesture. He ushered her back into the room she had just been laying in. Since summer began, Karin had not received any injuries which required the mustached man's kido abilities, but today, her teachers both decided to bombard her in order to push her shikai to its limit. Tessai’s healing had restored some of her energy, but Karin’s body had turned into jelly. It screamed for sleep and maybe a bowl of ice cream. After all, ice cream fixed everything. Tessai flicked Karin’s hood on for her, making her suspicious. _What is going on?_ She concentrated on the muffled talking down the hall. She recognized Urahara’s voice but whoever the other people were was still a mystery. It wasn’t until Ururu came and said the coast was clear that Karin realized her stupidity. _God my brain is just as exhausted as my body right now._ She never checked for spiritual energy. She tried to do so, but she couldn't tell who it belonged to. What she did know is there were soul reapers currently speaking to her bucket hat wearing teacher, and it wasn't Rukia or Renji. Karin hopped back into her body and walked home. She was safe in her body especially now that she could mask her spiritual pressure pretty well. Whatever it was didn't and wouldn't concern her. 

The sunset that day was particularly beautiful, and as much as Karin’s body demanded relaxation, she walked towards a nearby hill. The hill was on the edge of town and overlooked a park which bordered a forest. It was Karin’s second favorite place to watch the sunset. Her first being the railing where her and Toshiro used to meet, but she hadn’t been there is many years for what felt to be obvious reasons. She watched the clouds as she strolled along. _Do I want sorbet or actual ice cream?_

It seemed like her and hollows had the same taste in sunset viewing spots because as Karin rounded the bend, a hollow appeared. Karin frowned. _How convenient for my aching muscles._ Popping the little purple pill, she switched with Aki who decided to head home. Afterall, the plants needed watering and someone had to buy the ice cream. Karin readied her sword and launched off the hill. Per usual, the hollow shrieked at the sight of her. She yanked her sword down in hopes of finishing the hollow off quickly. However, apparently this hollow had some fighting skill and readied its claws to slash at her the first chance it got. Karin, wanting to waste no time, bounced off the hollow and released her shikai. She apprehended one of the monster’s arms, but it thrashed about flinging Karin into the woods behind. The hollow’s stomach rumbled as it followed his prey in the forest.

Legs shaking from over use, Karin rose off the log she had crashed into. She had landed right on the spot Tessai had spent the most time healing. Holding her side, she leaned onto a near by tree and observed. The hollow may have had some skill in combat, but not enough to notice the clear disadvantage it had as trees thwacked and restricted its mobility. One calculated move is all it would take. She took a deep breath hoping the air would be enough to soothe her tight muscles. With any strength left in her arm, she yanked the chain connecting her and the hollow back throwing it off balance monetarily. While the beast was stumbling, she jumped up and sliced its mask in two with the free scythe in her hand. With one last bone-aching shriek, the monster dissipated into the air. Karin staggered out of the wood sheathing Kungetsu in the process.

There is something rejuvenating about a summer breeze during sunset. The wind soothed Karin’s aches like an ice-pack as she stopped momentarily to admire the sight before her. The sun had finally dipped behind the horizon leaving behind a peach stained sky melting into the ink of night. The cicadas buzzed and fireflies had begun to dance around the entry to the woods, and Karin closed her eyes relishing in the tranquility. Clearly, the wonder of the change in light had distracted her.

“Who are you,” a voice demanded. Karin almost jumped out of her skin and spun to the voice. _Of fucking course._ Why the hell Hitsugaya Toshiro was in the world of the living and demanding she show her face was beyond her. Her mind went into over drive as she tried to flash step away from the last person she expected to see. Overworked, flash stepping felt like trudging through molasses.

Toshiro followed the cloaked individual was they went into the forest. He was there to take care of a hollow, but it appeared the person in front on him had beat him to it. He wasn’t sure whether they were a friend or foe, but with all the recent disappearances, a hooded figure running from a captain of the Gotei 13 didn’t bode well.

“Bakudo 1: Sai!” His unknown opponent faltered but continued to move albeit slower. Karin struggled under the kido spell. _Oh, the irony of this._ She didn’t want to fight the captain, but she prepared herself for the inevitable as she struggled to break the spell. Eventually he caught up to her.

“I’ll ask you again. Who are you?” She took this moment to actually look at him. This Toshiro was not very different than the one she knew all those years ago. His hair still flopped almost over his left eye, and he still wore that green scarf. He was taller now though, maybe 5 feet tall, but that was still short compared to Karin’s 5’6”. The snap of a twig signaled his approach towards her shaking her from her thoughts.

The cloaked figure twitched as he approached. _Their left-handed,_ he noted from the blade on their right hip. The unknown soul reaper must have noticed him eyeing their zanpakuto and received it as a threat because within a flash, the two were crossing blades. He was shocked to see his opponent was actually _right-handed._ _Interesting._

Karin had _no idea_ what she was doing. She had acted on a whim by pulling her blade. Today really wasn’t her day. Her and Toshiro continued to scuffle, but she knew she wouldn’t last long in her current state. She was tempted to also use Bakudo 1: Sai and dip out of there but worried about him recognizing her voice. _What am I even going?_ She wanted to run. She wasn’t ready for _this._

An idea popped in her head, under her breath she stated, “break, Kungestu.” The prodigy took this as his cue to also use shikai thinking his opponent meant business. Karin was scared shitless. Her teachers wouldn’t bat an eye at injuring her, but they never fought with the intention of seriously apprehending her. It was a totally different feeling, and it was _terrifying_.

Karin had yet to set her chain scythe ablaze; she figured it might work well against Toshiro’s ice-type zanpakuto. While she was looking for an opening to trap his blade in her chain, he froze her in place. The ice wasn’t cold like one would expect normal ice to be. It was uncomfortable, but it was by no means _freezing._ She didn’t think twice about it and found an opening. She reared her right scythe back and flung.

Similar to Urahara, Toshiro thought she missed. He yanked to disarm her. _Nice try Toshiro,_ she smirked under her hood.

“Ignite,” the hooded figure spoke. Toshiro’s eyes widened as the zanpakuto set on fire. It’s flames startling. Perplexed by its warmth, his grip on Hyorinmaru loosened. _What the hell?_ His mouth hung open. Green eyes shocked at the sight before him.

Gray eyes met his with just as much shock. Karin had yanked his zanpakuto out of his hands only for her hood to accidentally fall to her shoulders. _Of course._ She stared at her best friend. _Are we even still best friends?_ The cicadas’ buzz became defining.

“Karin?” He sounded hurt. She looked down. The ice there now gone as she sheathed Kungetsu. She thought about flash stepping away, but as she looked back to the eyes she had longed to see _for years_ , she knew she couldn’t.

“Hey Toshiro,” her voice was low. Toshiro’s brain was a mess. _Did she die? How did I not know about it? How did she get through the academy? What squad is she in? Is she my enemy? No, there is no way…_ His confusion was written all over his face.

“I suppose I should explain.” Karin bit the inside of her mouth. Where to even begin? Toshiro retrieved his sword, and the two went to sit.

“About six months ago, I started having this weird dream…” and she told him everything. She told him about training, her zanpakuto, its manifestation, Ichika and Kazui finding out, Urahara’s warnings, Yuzu and their plan, and most importantly, she told him about her initial hesitation. She had never been fond of her abilities. He knew this. When Ichigo had lost his powers, she emotionally ran away. He was there for that. However, as time went on and she grew up, she began to accept all of it. So, when her powers manifested, while very hesitant at first, she grew to appreciate her new powers. It gave her control over her own life. He knew how much she had always wanted that.

He listened intently as she spoke and took this chance to really look at his best friend. _Are we still best friends?_ he wondered. Karin was older than the last time he had seen her. In high school, her boyish figure had transformed into girlish curves, but now, there was no denying she was a woman. Her face had matured, and her hair was longer and was slightly a mess from their short fight. _She was without a doubt a Shiba_ , he mused as he looked at her in full. She had aged very nicely. While she spoke about her soul reaper powers, he realized two things. One: she would be a strong substitute soul reaper, and two: he had missed her more than he thought did.

When she had finished, the two sat in silence looking at the stars for a minute.

“I’m sorry,” he began, “I should have come to visit you after…” His voice trailed off.

“It’s ok. I forgive you. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have said all those things.” The two gazed into each other’s eyes. The fight happened five years ago, and both were eager to move forward.

“We’re still best friends, right?” Toshiro spoke.

“Of course, we are! You’re stuck with me.” There was the Kurosaki he knew. Her bright smile erasing any worries he had.

“Hey, why are you here anyway?” Karin asked laying on the grass. Any awkwardness before completely disappearing as the two picked up right where they had left off.

“Matsumoto wanted a break and to see Ichika and Kazui. I didn’t trust her to not extend her vacation, so I came along. I was also curious who this unknown soul reaper Kuchiki and Abarai were talking about was,” he side-eyed, “guess we know who that is though.” He joined her laying back on the grass.

Karin laughed, “Guess we do. Wait! They were talking about me?”

“To Matsumoto, yes.”

“What did they say?”

“That’s classified,” he smirked.

“Oh, shut up elementary scho-”

“I am not an elemen-”

“Ya ya. ‘I’m older than you’ whatever – spill the beans,” she waved him off. Conversations like this were familiar and comfortable.

He exhaled, “Just that they had seen a soul reaper in a cloak looking suspicious and to be careful.”

“Oh, that’s anticlimactic.” Karin earned a chuckle at that. The sun had set a while ago. The street lights signaled Karin to sit up, “I should probably get headed for dinner. How long are you here for?”

“Probably a few days.” The white-haired boy moved to get up as well. She nodded at his response.

“Karin,” he had to know, “are you planning on keeping your soul reaper powers a secret still? As a captain, I am supposed to report things like this, but…” he trailed off.

“Did you just imply you would not report this if I didn’t want you to?” Her eyes narrowed. That was surprising.

He looked away, “It’s not like I _won’t_ report it… just that I don’t have to do so immediately.” There was the diligent captain she knew.

She sighed, “Let me tell my family first?”

“Of course.” A feint smile formed on his face in response to the large one on his best friend’s.

“You wanna play soccer maybe tomorrow? I should be good after training.”

“Sure,” he shrugged his shoulders knowing denying Karin a game of soccer was pretty much impossible. The two said goodbye to each other, and both smiled the whole way to their respective destinations. _Training huh? Maybe I should go visit,_ he thought as he arrived at Ichigo’s place.

Karin had told Yuzu everything when she got home unable to keep her excitement to herself. Yuzu being the head of the ‘Karin and Toshiro are in love’ club was ecstatic. Karin rolled her eyes while laughing with her twin over the dishes. Ice cream was definitely a great choice.

“Hey Yuzu?” she began once there was a lull in conversation.

“Ya?”

“Toshiro said he kinda has to report… uh… that he knows…”

Her twin nodded knowing what Karin was trying to say, “sounds like we need to have a family dinner then huh?”

“What would I do without you?” Karin hugged her sister and promised to do the dishes every night for a month as a thank you.

They would tell their family tomorrow night. Karin’s mind whirred in anticipation as she laid down to sleep. That night she dreamt. She was in what looked to be a valley. It was covered in snow, and the mountains in the distance were almost completely white. The frosty wind nipped her skin, and her hair waved across her shoulders. She felt the presence of something behind her. Turning around, she was met with a snowstorm. Her skin stung as the snow pricked her from all angles.

Startled, she woke up shivering. A very tiny amount of frost had appeared on her pillow. _What the hell? Is? Is Kungestu dying?_

“It’s not what you think it is – go back to sleep.” Kungetsu stirred in her mind warming her soul back up.

“Talk tomorrow about it,” the tiger continued.

_What? With who? Urahara?_

No response. Sleep washed over Karin again as her head hit the pillow. Whatever it was could wait for tomorrow. Her body still needed rest from the day’s activities.


	10. Surprise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God this is a beefy chapter. I thought about splitting it into two, but idk decided not to. Please enjoy! Also thank you so much for all your support! Its very motivating!! <3

One would think, “hey I had another weird dream last night, but it was different than the other ones I had,” would warrant a discussion. Right? Apparently, no. Instead, Urahara had ignored the med student and kicked her ass. _What the hell did I even do?_ Her teacher didn’t appear angry, hell, he seemed the same as always… That man never ceased to confuse her. After the shop owner had unceremoniously flung her into a cliff, _ow,_ he let Karin catch her breath and asked her about the dream. Why she needed to get the snot knocked out of her first was beyond her. She spared no detail while talking to hat-n-clogs, and when she was done, he thwarped open his fan, said, “oh, very interesting~”, and promptly switched with Yoruichi. The two shared knowing looks before Yoruichi tried to uppercut her pupil. _It’s like they can read each other’s minds I swear!_ Karin decided to let it go. If it was something worth knowing or worth worrying about, they would tell her.

She dusted off her shihakusho and resumed sparring with Yoruichi. Her cat-like teacher wasn’t being as harsh as the other, but she wasn’t going easy on her by any means. At some point, a familiar mop of white hair entered the training area. Karin didn’t even notice until Yoruichi flipped her on the ground and greeted the captain. _Again, ow._

“Kisuke is upstairs if you’re looking for him,” she said while allowing Karin to stand up.

“I already talked to him. I was just curious as to what training a substitute soul reaper receives,” he shrugged. _Of course, he had to come watch on the day where I’m getting my ass handed to me. Wait. Why did no one stop him from coming down? Also, since when am I a substitute?_

“Well, why don’t you see for yourself.” Bam! That was a full kick to her butt.

“Ow!”

“You let your guard down,” she flashed both of them a grin, “Ok, play nice kids.” And she was gone.

Toshiro and Karin looked at each other. Toshiro raised one of his eyebrows, “Sounds like you two have fun.”

She crossed her arms, “If by fun you mean every time I feel like I am getting stronger, I get tag teamed by Urahara and Yoruichi and get pretty much pulverized, then ya. It’s pretty fun.” She shrugged. Toshiro began drawing his sword.

Amused, Karin smirked, “Oh, are we actually sparring?”

“It’s only sparring if you can land a hit,” he said unimpressed. _That cocky bastard._

“I recall disarming you last night, _Captain_. Wouldn’t that be considered ‘a hit’.” Her smirk grew.

He would never tell anyone, especially not the woman in front of him, but he didn’t mind when Karin used his title in snarky comments. Come to think of it, there were several things he let her do that no one else could do. It must be a Kurosaki thing: defying all rules and expectations. He shook his head and looked up at Karin, his best friend, and with all the sass he could muster, he responded with, “No, it wouldn’t. It would be considered _disarming_.” _That will get her going._ He smirked at her eyeroll. _Success._

“Oh my god,” she exhaled as she drew her sword. Toshiro took this time to actually look her zanpakuto. The sword was unassuming on the outside, but the blade was particularly unique with its forged look. _It suits her. Normal on the outside; special on the inside._ Somewhere in the back of his mind, Hyorinmaru stirred. Toshiro took this as restlessness and began sparring.

The two traded blows back and forth, but clearly the concept of _them_ sparring was still a foreign one. Plainly put, it was _awkward as hell_. Plus, Karin could tell Toshiro was going easy on her. Yes, he was a captain, and she was not even _technically_ a real soul reaper, but still – she didn’t want to be coddled. Eventually, Karin was able to land a small hit on Toshiro’s arm using flash step. After she had done so, the glint that appeared in Toshiro’s green eyes told her he was done playing around. From there, the two trained like they meant it. He was undoubtably better than her, but the fact she was able to hold her own, gave the 24-year-old strength. Soon, sparring with Toshiro felt like playing a game of soccer – but a little more dangerous. He would always flip his zanpakuto to hit her with the back of the blade rather than slice and dice her, but she still ended up with a handful of minor injuries. At some point, both released their shikai, and the two traded blows until Toshiro froze Karin in place. _Rude._ Using the blade in her left hand, she tried to melt the ice encasing her feet. The ice didn’t budge.

“What the hell? Since when does fire not melt ice? Do you have some sort of _magic ice_?” She started chipping at the ice with her scythes like ice picks. Her jaw dropped. That tiny-tot really had un-meltable ice and didn’t mention that sooner? He could have made her a hell of an ice pack after that one soccer match years ago where she bruised her thigh! That bruise in particular hurt like a bitch! The _liar_ in question flash stepped to her with furrowed brows.

“No. It normally melts,” he released her from the ice. Ok, so he wasn’t lying _at least_.

“Does that mean I have cold fire? Is that even a thing? Oi, Kungetsu, what the fuck?” Karin looked at the two blades in her hands.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I am a literal tiger made of fire! You think- _”_ Kungetsu kept arguing in the 5’6” woman’s mind while the 5’0” I-can-pass-for-a-teenager spoke, “No, I don’t think anything is wrong with either of our zanpakuto…”

“Exactly, you should listen to him, I swear,” Kungetsu was peeved, so Karin gave her a quick mental apology. Her last two brain cells didn’t know what was going on.

“Then?”

She could practically see his brain trying to find an explanation but to no avail. All he could give her was, “I don’t know either.”

“Well, shit.” The two stood in silence for a beat.

“Did you also have a weird dream last night?” Toshiro sheathed his zanpakuto. They could spar another time. Hyorinmaru stirred once more.

“Ya… You did too?” Toshiro nodded his head in response. Karin mimicked Toshiro’s face and furrowed her eyebrows together. How did weird dreams have anything to do with this?

As if on cue, Urahara appeared in the colossal basement. Despite hiding half of his face behind his infamous fan, the twinkle in the shop owner’s eyes worried Karin. _This can’t be good_.

“There you two are~ Would you two mind joining me upstairs? There have been some quite interesting developments.” The two in question nodded and followed the former captain to the familiar room with the circle table in it. Yoruichi was already there.

Once everyone was settled, Urahara began, “So, I am sure you both noticed by now that your zanpakuto do not affect the other like it should. Both of you also informed me about a strange dream last night,” he reached both of his hands out towards Karin and Toshiro, “may I see your zanpakuto, please?” They obliged, and the blonde set the two swords on the table. Despite what his height might suggest, Toshiro’s zanpakuto was actually quite long for a katana. It highlighted Kungetsu’s size too - or lack thereof.

“They’re a pair.” Karin eyes widened at her best friend’s voice. The two swords fit together nicely, and despite their visual differences, felt like a complete set.

“They are indeed. Do you know how?” The former captain’s tone shifted into a serious one. He was going into full researcher mode

The white-haired soul reaper looked at the two zanpakuto before him deep in thought. With an inhale, he confessed, “no, this isn’t taught in the academy.”

“Exactly. As I’m sure Captain Hitsugaya knows, Karin, the Soul Society has many secrets. This,” he gestured to the pair of swords, “is one of them.”

“What is ‘this’ exactly,” the raven-haired woman interjected.

“I’m so glad you asked, Karin~ Do you remember what I taught you about soul reapers and their zanpakuto?”

“That their bond is unique and extremely powerful?” Karin questioned. She didn’t know she would be taking a pop quiz.

“Yes, and there is only one soul reaper to one zanpakuto.” She nodded her head at the shop owner’s words.

He continued and Tessai appeared with a sketchpad, “while that is still true, it is not entirely correct. There are three types of soul reaper zanpakuto relationships: parallel, perpendicular, and complementary.” With every point, Tessai flipped the sketchbook to another poorly drawn image. The first drawing is what looked to be a mouse version of Ichigo who was holding his glorified kitchen knife out to the side.

“A parallel relationship is when there is one soul reaper to one zanpakuto. While there can be a zanpakuto which manifests with two swords or even with two zanpakuto spirits, they are still one entity. Hence, parallel as the soul reaper and zanpakuto work alongside each other for the soul reaper’s lifetime. This type is the most common.”

Tessai flipped to another drawing. This drawing showed another mouse. This one had glasses, and Toshiro recognized this to be Ise Nanao based on the squad one lieutenant badge. There were ghost mice behind her.

“A perpendicular relationship is when there is a zanpakuto passed down from one soul reaper to another. This is really only seen within certain families such as the Ise clan. The soul reaper will inherit the zanpakuto which has been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the zanpakuto works together with several soul reapers in its ‘lifetime’ so to speak. There is an intersection which is why it is called perpendicular. This is fairly rare as only a handful of families do this.”

Tessai flipped to yet another drawing. This one had two unrecognizable mice, and each had a zanpakuto; one was red and the other was blue. There was a line splitting the page in two, and on the second part the mice both had purple swords and there were question marks surrounding them.

“The final type is called a complementary relationship. It is when there are two zanpakuto which are intrinsically linked. Meaning, the two soul reapers are able to share and wield the other’s power to an extent. Hence, complementary as the two would be linked through shared power. This is an extremely powerful connection, and it is why the Soul Society has a rule that no two soul reapers may wield the same zanpakuto. There is virtually no research on this, so it’s hard to say why complementary relationships occur. The reason could be as vague as having zanpakuto which are a soul pair to as complicated as having zanpakuto which are two parts of a whole. This relationship is practically unheard of.”

Tessai flipped to another page, and Karin suppressed a laugh. On the page were two mice; it was her and Toshiro. There was messy script above which read ‘potentially’ as well as a few question marks.

“Based on neither of your elemental-type zanpakuto being able to affect its opposite and the dreams in the other’s inner world, I think it is safe to assume the two of you might have a complementary type relationship.”

Tessai flipped to the last page of his surprisingly helpful artwork which read “the end” as the shop owner stopped explaining. The captain and half-soul reaper sat processing. It was a ton to take in. Yoruichi nibbled at the snacks on the table while the imagine of little mouse-Karin still threatening to make her laugh.

“So, my dream last night was just Toshiro’s inner world,” the cog-wheels in Karin’s head were practically audible.

“And mine… was hers…”

Urahara chuckled at the two youngsters in front of him. He had quite literally dropped a bombshell on them, and they were handling it pretty well.

“Does… Does this mean we can wield both zanpakuto?” The young captain’s mind was spinning. Yes, Karin’s fire-type zanpakuto didn’t hinder his ice-type zanpakuto, but there was no way that would mean he could _use_ the fire-type zanpakuto. Right?

“Yes, although to what extent, I am not sure. Again, there is practically nothing known about this.”

“Which means you’re going to have a field day with this, huh?”

“My! Karin, you are catching on so quickly~” She deadpanned at once again being the clog wearing man’s pseudo-test subject.

“I’m sure you two have a lot to think about, so training is over for today. I’ll see you tomorrow firecracker,” Yoruichi winked at the older nickname. Toshiro threw Karin a puzzled look, _she is definitely going to explain that later._ “We would love it if you would join us, Captain Hitsugaya.”

“Of course.”

Before the two moved to get up, Urahara spoke once more, “if you two wouldn’t mind leaving your zanpakuto here tonight, I could do some tests to possibly confirm. I imagine zanpakuto of this type would have similar spiritual frequencies.”

They both knew it would be impossible to refuse because once the researcher’s brain was going, nothing could stand in his way. The two looked at each other and back at Urahara and gave him the go ahead.

Toshiro and Karin moved to retrieve their body / gigai, and go play soccer as promised, but before fully leaving the room, Toshiro turned around, “I am assuming we shouldn’t tell anyone about this.” Karin looked down at her vertically challenged friend. She hadn’t even thought that far ahead.

“I believe that would be the safest option,” Urahara replied with a glint in his eye from under his bucket hat, “see you two tomorrow~” and with that, they left.

The awkwardness surrounding them was palpable. It’s not everyday you get told your best friend, who you _just_ made-up with, is essentially your non-romantic soulmate! Hell, _power partner_ if you will! Karin had been hyper focused on her plans with Yuzu that night, so she was in no way prepared for what had just happened. Toshiro was still getting used to Karin’s new powers, so he was also in the same boat. Questions on how this would effect their friendship swam in both of their minds but never surfaced.

For the rest of the day, they grabbed food, played soccer, and promised to talk about it tomorrow. The would be ‘normal’ just one last time.

* * *

The fateful hour had come: confession time. Karin had left Toshiro at the guardrail once the sun had set and ran home to find Yuzu on the landline with Ichigo while texting presumably Rangiku on her cell phone. Her twin could be quite scary when she set her mind to it. Yuzu had invited Ichigo and Orihime over for dinner and insisted Rangiku would watch Kazui and Ichika, but for whatever reason, Ichigo was suspicious of the whole ordeal. Eventually, Yuzu satiated their older brother with, “Karin and I have exciting news – that’s why!” and a fairly aggressive hang up. Karin began to set the table for Ichigo, Orihime, Goat-chin, Yuzu, and herself. _This was going to be a shitshow,_ she sighed to herself.

Oh, and it was. It was a completely ridiculous and hilarious shitshow, but the 24-year old wouldn’t have it either way. And, if she was being honest with herself, it went much better than she had prepared herself for.

Ichigo and Orihime came five minutes early with the twins’ brother claiming the suspense was killing him. Dinner itself went well. Isshin directed most of the conversation towards the married couple leaving Yuzu to interject and Karin to sit silently. It was a typical family dinner. Ichigo and Isshin had several non-malicious fights, Yuzu and Karin asked Orihime about life, and things were just… normal.

With dessert, the couple remembered why they were over, and goat-chin was also curious. The twins looked at each other and took a deep breath.

Yuzu started, “About a year ago, a hollow attacked Jinta and I. He was caught off guard and got injured pretty badly.” The blonde’s eyes were dark recalling the memory. Karin placed her hand over her twin’s, “long story short, I learned I had quincy powers that night.” Ichigo’s jaw dropped, Orihime had a smile on her face, and Isshin was crying. “I’ve been training with Ishida and on occasion Jinta and Ururu. Right now, I can't use my power's for long or too often because I have to concentrate extremely hard to even see what I'm trying to do!," she laughed but continued, "I’ve talked to Urahara and Yoruichi too. He thinks… he thinks with time I’ll be like mom.” Ichigo’s face turned soft along with Orihime’s. Isshin had gotten out of his seat and hugged Yuzu with full waterworks on display. Before she could get bombarded with questions, Yuzu added, “And Karin discovered her power six months ago… here, why don’t you explain.” Yuzu would go first and crack the ice, but she wouldn’t handle with weight of this situation alone. Karin admired her strength at the moment.

“Ya… six months ago, I started having weird dreams at school. They got pretty bad, so I went to see Urahara over winter break-”

“She kept setting the fire alarm off in her sleep!” Yuzu giggled.

Karin flashed her a sheepish look and continued, “So, over winter break, I kept going to the shop and eventually… uh how do I put this? I became a soul reaper?”

“What!” Ichigo interjected.

“You heard me. It just kinda happened.” She shrugged and took a bite of her ice cream, “I’ve been training ever since and have my shikai.”

“And…” Yuzu gave Karin a look.

She knew her twin was right, “Toshiro and Rangiku know.”

“Since when did you two start talking again? Does the soul society know? What about Rukia and Renji?” Ichigo’s brain had clearly melted over the course of the conversation similar to the abandoned ice cream in front of him.

“Recently, no, and no, but,” Karin looked at her twin again who finished her sentence, “Kazui and Ichika already know.”

“Excuse me!” Ichigo leaned forward and his wife started giggling next to him because of coursethey would somehow know first. Isshin’s soul had pretty much left his body at that point. The twins explained more and once dessert and the ‘deed’ was done, everyone cleared their own plates.

“So, you’re telling me you,” he pointed at Yuzu, “are a quincy, and you,” now at Karin, “are a substitute soul reaper.”

Karin huffed, “that’s exactly what this din-”

“Oh, my beautiful daughters!! Dad is so proud of you both! If Masaki was here, she would be over the moon! She would be so proud of you two” Goat-chin crushed the two not-so-little-girls in his arms after reviving himself from earlier. For once in their life, neither twin pushed back or cried alongside him – they just hugged him back because no one in the Kurosaki family was ‘normal’ anymore. 

Isshin pulled away and promptly left the room which confused everyone.

Before anyone could question his odd behavior, Orihime replaced Isshin and hugged the two young women, “I’m so proud of you two. If you ever need anything let me know," and in a voice only they could hear she added, “Your brother doesn’t have to know,” with a wink. God, they loved her so much.

With grandiose, Goat-chin returned in his soul reaper form and proclaimed, “My daughters, it is time to show off your powers to your loving father!” He even ripped open his robes to expose his chest for added effect.

“Dad, I don’t thi-”

“You know for once I agree, I want to see too,” Ichigo cut Karin off. The twins looked to Orihime for an out, but the orange haired woman looked as, if not more, intrigued than her husband.

“Fine,” Karin moved to switch with Aki while Yuzu moved everyone outside. Like hell she was going to let anyone accidentally destroy the house for the umpteenth time. Aki stayed inside preferring to clean and tend to the small collection of plants around the house.

Ichigo and Orihime stayed near the entrance of the house, and the other three had moved into the street.

“I think I can take you both on,” their father’s cockiness began to show, and the twins prepared to ‘show off’. Karin readied her fists, and Yuzu pulled back her arrow. Any arrogance Isshin had immediately melted into pride. His daughters, a soul reaper and a quincy, were _strong_. They were beautiful, and he was so proud. Tears pricked his eyes as he ushered them to spar with him.

The fight was fairly standard at first; Karin would go in for hand-to-hand combat while Yuzu shot arrows. At some point, Yuzu needed to rest, after all, her powers weren’t as developed as Karin’s yet. Karin told her to take a break to which her twin happily obliged, but not after landing a direct hit on the former captain.

Isshin flew back into the street at Yuzu’s arrow. He could hear his daughter running towards him with worry thick in her voice, so he quickly got up and encased her into a huge bear hug.

“My little girl has gotten so strong! A strong quincy like your mother – oh, how filled with joy I am to have a quincy in this household!” Yuzu giggled at her father’s antics.

“Oi! What about me? I’m half quincy too, and I have-”

Isshin became serious and completely ignored Ichigo’s comments, “Now, Yuzu, you have fought well," he pat her head, "Go stand by your brother and sister-in-law while I see what your sister’s zanpakuto is all about.” Isshin turned to his stoic daughter. Ichigo had powers which resembled both him and Masaki and then some which made sense. He was their son. However, so far, Yuzu seemed to have only quincy powers, and Karin seemed to only have soul reaper powers. He wondered if them sharing a womb had anything to do with it. Either way, he was over filled with joy that his daughters were exhibiting spiritual powers along side their brother. Masaki would have been so happy.

“You said you have your shikai right?”

His daughter nodded.

“Well? Why don’t you show your old man?” A glint in his eyes formed. It was rare to see Isshin be serious, so Karin wasted no time. If he meant business, then so should she.

“I don’t have my zanpakuto right now,” her gray eyes looked directly at her father.

“What?” He must be getting old because to not notice the lack of weapon on his daughter and her almost exclusive usage of hand-to-hand combat and kido was a huge oversight.

“I left it with Urahara in case you or Ichigo wanted to spar. I didn’t feel like breaking any buildings tonight,” the younger dark-haired Kurosaki fibbed.

When no one said anything, she added, “my zanpakuto is called Kungetsu and is a fire-type zanpakuto. If you really want to see it in action, we can spar in Urahara’s basement sometime.”

“I guess it runs in the family!” Orihime smiled, “you, Ichigo, and Mr. Kurosaki all have zanpakuto with ‘getsu’ in it. That’s so sweet!”

“Is that common, old man?” Ichigo smiled lovingly at his wife. She was more observant than she led others to believe.

“I’m not sure, but I don’t see why not. I’ll definitely have to pay the shop a visit now. I’d like to see how my fire-type zanpakuto fairs against yours.” He beamed at his daughter who grinned right back.

“Does this mean she can also use Getsugatensho?” Ichigo added.

Isshin opened his mouth to speak, but his daughter beat him to it, “what’s that?”

The former captain laughed as he wrapped his technically youngest daughter in his arms, “guess your old man if going to have to teach you a few tricks!”

Yuzu ran over to them and stuffed her way into the hug. Orihime and Ichigo soon followed suit. The Kurosaki’s had never been a very physically affectionate family, but the group hug was definitely welcomed by all people there. It was not only a hug of family, but a hug of acceptance. The twins were the family’s last ties to a cookie cutter normal life, but now not a single one of them was normal.

After a second too long in the embrace, Karin spoke up, “all right, all right, that was nice family time, but if you don’t mind, Yuzu needs to rest. She has a date tomorrow and needs her beauty rest!”

Like clockwork, Isshin began crying to Masaki about how old their daughter had gotten, Ichigo roared, “What!” and demanded to know who, as if he didn’t already know, the date was with, and Orihime tried to calm overprotective Ichigo down. Karin smiled. Not a smirk. Not a grin. But a soft, gentle smile. Because life was still normal, _for them_ , and that’s all that mattered anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sitting on this cute filler chapter idea, so next chapter might be that! lmk if you have any ideas for filler chapters! I have a few, but I feel like later on in this story there will be tons of opportunities for shenanigans. Ah I'm so excited for that!


	11. Filler: May I Have This Dance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another beefy chapter!! Hope y'all enjoy!! Also as always, thank you so much for all the support!! It really still doesn't make sense to me that people actually read this? Like I thought no one would because of Bleach being off the air and all that jazz. Also random side note, I really hope we get another HitsuKarin filler in the future with the anime's return!! Maybe the anime will diverge from the manga and explore other characters and their arcs... haha! Just a fun idea!!

Karin had no intentions of having a date to her senior winter formal. Her and her friends decided going as a group of friends would be the easiest option. Plus, it wasn’t like anyone was going to ask her anyway.

Unfortunately for the dark-haired girl, a hilarious idea popped into her head during her final period for the day. What if she brought someone? Particularly, what if she brought a certain grumpy soul reaper she knew… They hadn’t seen each other for some time, and she did promise to help familiarize him with “world of the living culture” as he had put it. For the rest of the school day, images of her best friend not knowing what the hell to do at winter formal danced in her head. Any idea of Karin attending the formal solo was officially out the window. _This is going to be hilarious._

When she got home, the black-haired girl got to work. The dance was tomorrow night, so she knew she was cutting it close. But, that’s part of the fun in shenanigans, the on-a-whim nature of it all. Besides, it wasn’t like the captain would actually say yes; he was, of course, going to be busy. This whole act was more an excuse to force him make that bewildered face Karin had grown to enjoy so much.

The senior gathered flour, butter, sugar, the almost too brown bananas, and a few other ingredients. Karin was by no means as skilled as Yuzu in the kitchen, but that didn’t mean she was bad either. The older she had gotten, the more she had begun to help Yuzu with meals, and at times, Karin would even experiment in the kitchen.

Currently, her mind was set on making a chocolate chip banana bread recipe that she knew Toshiro liked. She had made it last year around Christmas time, and when the captain had stopped by, the teenager practically forced him to try some. He pretended it was decent, but the extra piece he took for the road was not lost on her. Also, if Yuzu liked it, there was no way in hell he didn’t.

Once the bribe was whipped up and put in the oven, the high schooler went upstairs to change into something more comfortable than her school uniform. After she had opted for a t-shirt and leggings, she began doing her homework. Her teachers were kind enough to not overload their students with work due to the dance Saturday. Therefore, Karin was able to complete most of it while the bread baked.

With a ‘ding’, she hopped downstairs. The teen popped the banana bread out of the oven and placed it on a wire rack to cool a bit. Karin leaned against the counter and sent Rangiku a photo with the message, “Going to bribe Toshiro. Office in 30?”

“Of course~ Is that the fabled banana bread I’ve heard so much about!?” Karin smirked at the busty lieutenant’s response. _So, he did like it - that bastard._

“ofc,” she responded. Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she quickly jotted down on the notepad kept in the kitchen, “Do not eat!!” and went to complete the last bit of the problem set she was working on. _Thank god I started that yesterday._

After 15 minutes, Karin checked on the loaf and grabbed a cloth to wrap it in. She neatly folded the edges like Yuzu had taught her years ago. Leaving the ‘gift’ on the counter, she ran upstairs for her soul ticket. Said object was kept hidden in Karin’s closet in one of her old snow boots. It wasn’t like she had anything to hide, but the idea of the ticket casually laying on her desk didn’t feel right. She admired the blue and white ticket once she had retrieved it. That little piece of paper was the only thing keeping her between her world and the Soul Society. It was truly remarkable.

Surprise in one hand and soul ticket in the other, Karin smirked. It was game time.

* * *

One would think going somewhere at least twice before would mean one wouldn’t get lost. Evidently not. The Seireitei was enormous for a soul reaper, so for a being which didn’t have the ability to flash step, it was absolutely dauntingly large.

“Need some help?” Karin turned to an unfamiliar voice. Before her stood a soul reaper she had never seen before; funny enough, she reminded the human of Tatsuki. Both had similar hair, although the soul reaper in front of her had less of a mullet, and they both had the same wicked grin.

“Ya I’m a little lost. I’m trying to find the Squad 10 barracks.”

Thankfully, the soul reaper helped her. It dawned on Karin that if she had taken a left instead of a right, she would have been there all on her own. _Damn._ She thanked the kind soul reaper and went inside. Unlike the streets outside, her surroundings here were familiar. During her last visit, Rangiku had given her a tour of all of Squad 10 in order to skip out of paperwork. The teen smiled at the memory. Some squad members even joined in on ‘the tour’. Karin was amazed at not only how large the squad was but also at how much all the squad members loved and respected their captain and lieutenant. Even now, she was amazed.

She reached the door to Toshiro’s, and, sometimes when she felt like doing work, Rangiku’s office and entered, “Yo.”

“Karin~” Rangiku cried from her desk. From the looks of it, the white-haired captain forced her to do some work today. _Guess my distraction is welcome then,_ Karin inwardly chuckled.

“What are you doing here?” Guess someone was grumpy.

“Nice to see you too, Toshiro.” Karin sauntered up to his desk with little regard to his authority. Sure, he was the captain of Squad 10, but a) she wasn’t a soul reaper, and b) she was his best friend. Therefore, his authority didn't apply to her. With a satisfying thunk, the raven-haired girl plunked the wrapped banana bread on his desk. Rangiku simply stared as the scene unfolded.

The child-prodigy furrowed his brows together trying to comprehend what was going on and what was on his desk, “What is this?”

Karin folded her arms getting straight to the point, “a bribe.” She had never been one to beat around the bush. The scent of freshly baked goodness hit his senses once she revealed what she had brought, “You remember this banana bread? It’s still warm by the way.”

 _Goddamn it,_ Toshiro thought. He was done for.

Before he could ask what the bribe was for, the human spoke again, “You wanna be my date to the winter formal tomorrow night?”

That… That was certainly not at all what Toshiro had expected to hear. His bright green eyes widened and bore into Karin’s slate gray eyes. A dance? She was asking him… to a dance?

“Oooo! Captain~” Rangiku chimed in. Toshiro looked back at the tantalizing loaf in front of him. Rangiku would practically force him to go, and he felt bad letting Karin’s baking go to waste… but tomorrow was a fairly important captain’s meeting, and who knows how long that would be. It would be so easy to just say no. It would be so easy to be his grumpy self. But, around her, it was virtually impossible.

“I’ll see what I can do.” How this human girl kept successfully calling him back into the world of the living was beyond him.

“But Captain-” his lieutenant began to whine clearly wanting a more definite yes from him.

“There is a captain’s meeting tomorrow, but I should be able to make it,” he glanced at his subordinate.

Karin grinned largely. She really had not expected him to say yes, so this was a welcome surprise, “Sweet! I can explain the details over,” she patted the bread, “this.” She opened her palm to Toshiro.

“What?”

“We need something to cut it,” she said unimpressed.

The realization that she was asking for his zanpakuto hit him like a ton of bricks, “Absolutely not!” _I can’t believe her! The audacity._

She turned towards a cackling Rangiku and mustered her best pout, “Damn, and here I thought I was gonna reign over the frosted heavens.” That sent the blonde even more over the edge with laughter to which Karin joined in as a red-faced Toshiro went to get a knife and some plates.

* * *

It was the next evening, and Karin and Yuzu were both finishing getting ready for the winter formal in Yuzu’s room. Yuzu was in a soft pink dress which had a bow around the middle; her hair was lightly curled, and she had natural looking makeup on. Karin had a red halter dress on, and her hair was down. Her makeup was similar to her sisters, but she opted for winged eyeliner. 

The twins continued to chat as well as call their friends who were also in the process of getting ready while they waited for their dates to pick them up. Or, really just one date. Karin hadn’t told anyone other than Yuzu about her secret date to the winter formal. Yuzu had practically swooned when she told her earlier that day, and since then, the older twin wouldn’t stop teasing her about it.

About 20 minutes before the dance, Jinta arrived to the Kurosaki household. His face as soon as he saw Yuzu was truly a sight to behold. Despite his tough appearance, the small blonde could always turn him into jelly. It was really sweet, and it often reminded Karin of the face Ichigo sometimes made towards Orihime. Jinta treated Yuzu the way she deserved to be treated, and that made Karin happy.

The three took photos per Isshin’s request who surprisingly didn’t cry at all. After possibly hundreds of photos, who knows when it's Isshin behind the camera... Karin checked her phone for at least the 50th time – still no response. She had texted Toshiro over two hours ago.

“Oi, ready to go?” Jinta turned to the dark-haired twin. Yuzu gave her a bit of a panicked look. They hadn’t told Jinta about this secret/bribed date of Karin’s, and they both knew the red-head wouldn’t even think twice about beating the captain up for practically ghosting Karin for the whole day.

“Sure. Don’t drool over Yuzu too much, Karakura Red,” she rolled her eyes and joined the couple. Yuzu shot her a confused look to which she just shrugged in response.

“Ha! So, you finally admit that I am the true Karakura Red!” And with that, the three were off to join their friends at the dance talking the whole way. Karin sent her ghost of a date a text explaining where they were going to be and to text her when he got close.

Again, no response.

* * *

The dance was a pretty classic school dance. A combination of older and newer songs blasted in the gym which had been decorated with cheap, dusty decorations which glinted in the low light. There were little winter themed decorations about, but it was obvious the majority of the decorations were used for most dances.

For most of the 'formal,' Karin and her friends sort of bobbed to the beat and talked. Recently, one of their friends had been trying to snag this guy she met online who she had actually already known in person? Karin wasn't quite sure but listened to the gossip anyway.

When a slow song came on, one of Karin’s friends laughed as she dragged her to dance. The teenager couldn’t help but let her mind wander at what could have been. It would have been awkward as hell, but it still would have been fun… _Maybe he just got busy and forgot._ No matter how many excuses she tried to create in her head, one thing was for certain; she was _bummed_. He could have at least texted her! A simple, “I can’t go anymore,” would have been enough. Thankfully, she hadn’t told anyone other than Yuzu, so her friends interpreted her disappointment as boredom. Hence the dragging to the middle of the dance floor.

As the song reached its last chorus, her friend decided to try and spin her. It was clunky seeing as the two were practically the same height and not skilled in dancing, but with the twirl completed, Karin laughed.

A genuine laugh.

With that, she shoved all thoughts of the soul reaper out of her mind. She was Kurosaki Karin, goddamnit, she wasn’t going to let some boy, even if it was her best friend, stand in the way of a good night! So, for the rest of the night, she danced. She chatted. She ate some of the chips provided, and she had fun.

* * *

The after party sucked ass. Typically, people use the school function as a pre-game to the after party which is when the real fun starts, so when this after party was just a loud house party filled with overly drunk high schoolers, it made it suck a little bit more. Karin and her friends had decided to go to an arcade after and maybe go bowling, but apparently those plans had changed. Karin wouldn’t say she was particularly against house parties, but this one in particular was awful. All the lights were on, it has cramped, and it was hot and humid with all the bodies smashed together. The music pounded in Karin’s ears as she looked at what beverages there were. The kitchen was trashed and filled with several types of chips and a fuck ton of shitty beer. There was a handle of something, but it was taped to a girl’s hand, so that was off limits.

 _Ya. I’m not feeling this,_ she thought as she tried to wipe her brow in an attempt to be less sticky. _Yuzu and Jinta were smart for ditching to go on a date._

She updated Yuzu about her plans to turn in early and told her to stay out as long as she wanted. After hitting send, her finger hovered over her no-show. Unsurprisingly, he had still not responded even after the winter formal had ended.

_Fuck it._

Karin informed the captain of her plans to go home and sleep. Her texts throughout the evening having shifted in tone from casual to curt.

She said goodbye to a few of her friends using, “Oh, ya, I’m just tired,” as an excuse and headed home. The sun had long since set leaving the streetlights to guide her way. The teenager curled her arms around herself as the winter air wisped about.

_I wonder if it will snow soon._

Karin turned her gaze towards the sky as she walked home. The outskirts of town were much better for stargazing especially on nights like this one where the moon was just a sliver of light.

When she reached the clinic she called home, all the lights were off. Yuzu was still out with Jinta and probably would be for most of if not the whole night, Ichigo was in college, and their dad was probably with Dr. Ishida at the hospital talking the poor doctors ear off. Meaning, she was completely alone.

Typically, Karin would have reveled in the completely quiet home, but for once, the distraction of life was all she wanted. Being alone with her thoughts meant she had to think about her unread texts. At first, she hadn’t thought much of it, but later, her feelings had turned into anger and hurt. _Who the fuck stands their friend up?_

She shook her head not sure if she was ready to process that yet and moved to get ready for bed. The hot water of the shower helped her to recover from a more than unsatisfactory night, and the fuzzy socks, shorts, and over-sized hoodie she put on comforted her. All the steps she took before bed helped to heave off the weight from the day’s activities. She could deal with everything tomorrow. For now, she needed rest. Well, after spending some time on the internet of course.

As she scrolled through her YouTube homepage, her phone buzzed. Languidly, Karin reached for her red phone assuming Yuzu was calling.

Only, it wasn’t Yuzu who was calling; it was Toshiro.

Karin’s hands hesitated to answer as the confusion, hurt, and anger she had tried so hard to schlepp off had returned. With a slow breath in, she answered. _This better be good._

“Hello?”

“Karin?”

“Yes?” Karin wasn’t the type to spit venom when she was upset. Rather, she showed her anger through indifference and boredom. Both of which the captain picked up on immediately.

“I am so sorry,” he hoped his explanation would help, “the captains’ meeting went over, and we were ambushed. Everything is fine right now, but some people are missing,” Karin closed her eyes while he explained what had happened in more detail. She wondered how she hadn’t assumed something had _happened_ as her negative feelings dissipated. “I know this dance meant a lot to you, and I wish I could have said something sooner, but I was-”

“Toshiro, it’s ok. I understand. I should have assumed-”

“No, I should have tried to-”

“Ok, we both could have done things better. Fair?”

He hummed in affirmation and added, “I can come now if you want. I can’t stay for long, but I figure late is better than never.” Because the truth was, he _also_ wanted to be there. Hitsugaya Toshiro was never allowed a real adolescence, so the glimpse which Karin could offer him, was very important to him. Of course, he wouldn’t let anyone know this as he had to maintain appearances in order to retain his authority. But, going to a high school dance and having a mediocre time, really did sound appealing to him.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to keep you from your duties, Toshiro.”

“Everything is already taken care of here. The ambush happened this afternoon; I’ve been doing damage control since.” 

“Oh,” there was a thick pause between the two. Both of their minds whirring with questions. _Does she not want to see me? Does he really want to come here, or does he feel obligated to? She’s at home and most likely wants to sleep… He’s probably tired and wants to sleep…_

 _Fuck it,_ that seemed to have become Karin’s catchphrase as of late. “As long as you don’t care that I’m in PJs then, sure.”

The white-haired boy exhaled the breath he had been subconsciously holding, “I mean I’ll be coming without a gigai, so…”

Karin blew out air from her nose as a half-assed laugh towards the soul reaper’s awkwardness, did he just try and compare not wearing a gigai to wearing PJs?, “I’ll leave my window open then.”

“See you soon.”

She hummed in response and hung up. Karin continued to lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. _Amazing how communication can fix so much_ , she laughed to herself. All it took was a phone call, and she was fine. Not great – he still could have said _something_ , but she was fine. Her best friend didn’t hate her guts and abandon her, so ya, she was fine.

Sometime later, the sound of her window opening called her attention. Toshiro stayed perched on her windowsill, “hey,” he offered her his hand. She looked at him puzzled; the sun had already set, so he couldn’t be offering to watch the sunset together. “Do you want to go stargazing?” he looked away as he asked the question.

She grinned, “lemme put on warmer clothes. Turn around.”

He obliged as the human put on sweatpants, a shirt under her hoodie, and smashed her fuzzy socked feet into sneakers. “Alright. I’m ready,” she approached Toshiro and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“Ready?”

She nodded.

“Hold on tight,” she knew the drill at this point. At least twice before, she had koala’ed off the captain to travel to various places in Karakura town. Both times before were to watch the sunset, and like those times, her stomach lurched as the pair flash stepped to wherever their destination was. The wind howled in her ears and stung her face – it was definitely going to snow soon. Maybe by tomorrow evening.

“Here,” he let Karin out of his arms and failed to hold in a chuckle at her wobbling.

Karin took in the sight before her with her gray eyes wide open. Toshiro had taken her to a taller building overlooking the forest which resided on the outskirts of town. The stars didn’t compare to the countryside, but the number of stars visible compared to in the city was substantially different, “wow…”

“Karin…” she turned to her best friend. He stood in his battle worn uniform, captain’s haori billowing in the wind. He looked away again, he was nervous _._ “I know I wasn’t there for the actual dance… but… if you’ll have me… may I have this dance?” The child-prodigy extended his hand once more. He was _extremely_ nervous. The sound of laughter at first scared the 10th division captain, but once he saw her smile largely and say, “of course you may,” he became calm.

The two danced to no music for a while – neither really making eye contact with the other. They were both the same height, so eye contact was inevitable. Karin stared at the starry sky dotted with clouds above them. A drifting white object caught her attention; it was snow! The black-haired girl pulled away and looked straight up as more snowflakes danced their way to the earth below.

“Is that you?” she looked into the deep blue eyes in front of her. He shook his head giving her one of the gentlest smiles she had ever seen from him. She chuckled at the coincidence of the weather and her dancing partner and also gave a soft smile to Toshiro. The moment was pure. Just two people who feel comfortable around each other in ways hard to explain sharing space together.

Karin took her chance to hug him, and quietly said “I’m happy you’re here.” Her voice as light as the ice crystals floating down around them. He returned the hug in response, and after a moment added, “you know you can tell me if you’re cold, right?”

“I’m not cold!” She pulled back but remained in Toshiro’s arms.

“Oh really?” Unimpressed, he broke the embrace and stepped away.

“He- Hey!” Karin wrapped her arms around herself trying to keep her body from shivering like a leaf refusing to fall from a tree.

The ice wielder wrapped the human in his arms once more warming her like a cup of hot coco on a cold winter’s day. The warmth was welcome as Karin tried to burrow as far as she could into the boy. Perhaps they were a little too comfortable with each other… The thought crossed both their minds but was discarded. Instead, Toshiro laughed at Karin’s weird behavior. The laugh was genuine and took Karin’s breath away. _He should do that more._ _Be happy and carefree…_

The snow became fluffier and heavier as the soul reaper and the human rocked back and forth to an unheard rhythm. Neither would admit to the synchronization of their heartbeats or the sparks of something - something _more_ \- appearing in their chests. Any fluttering akin to the snowfall around them was packed down. He was a soul reaper. She was a human. Certainly, it would never work… Besides, Isshin and Masaki had been an anomaly.

It was only a matter of time before the human got cold, so when Karin’s teeth started chattering, the two returned to the clinic with the unlocked window.

He entered the room fully this time and set Karin onto her feet. This time, it was his turn for the air to be sucked out of his lungs as he took in the sight before him. Her smiling face was flushed, surely from the weather, and snowflakes were sprinkled in her air and on her eyelashes. _Her hair is down,_ he didn’t finish his thought because admitting that it had gotten longer since last he had been in the world of the living and looked good on her was _dangerous territory_. What the hell, he could handle a surprise assault from an unknown enemy but couldn’t handle how pretty his _friend_ had gotten? He couldn’t understand what had gotten into him.

Yawning, she asked, “how much longer you got?” Sleep beginning to make her eyelids heavy.

“Less than an hour.” He ignored any pangs of want he had felt earlier. This was his _best friend._ There was no way she felt the same, and there was no way in hell he would risk their friendship to find out.

She hummed at his answer, and shyly offered “stay until I fall asleep?” She felt a little greedy asking this, but she didn’t want him to leave yet. Besides, maybe he would reward her with that gentle smile for going out on a limb and asking him to stay.

Lucky for her, Toshiro did exactly that, and she tried to deny how much her heart swelled at this newer side of her friend she had uncovered. God, she could burst.

He turned as she changed into her PJs again, and once the girl had slipped into bed, he sat on the floor resting his back against the side of the bed. He had placed Hyorinmaru on the ground near by; Unlike earlier that day, the sword rested. Once Karin was settled, she asked about the attack. Over the phone, he had told her a little, so he elaborated in the cozy, dark room. An unknown opponent attacked the Seireitei during the captains’ meeting, few injured, and a handful from each squad missing. The captains believe the unknown attacker is powerful and has the ability to make people disappear. But other than that, there was very little information. For the majority of the day, Toshiro was fighting off hollows which the unknown enemy had summoned as a ploy. Most were weak, but a few more challenging hollows proved to be difficult for a while. He also told Karin to not visit him until it was safer to which he heard the sheets move while she nodded her head.

“Do you remember anything from your life before?” she mumbled half asleep. Karin never asked questions like these, but strangely enough, he didn’t feel like she was probing.

Toshiro sat for a moment thinking and let out a sigh, “to be honest, no. All I can remember is the Soul Society.” From there, he explained bits of his life in the Rukon district including life with his grandmother and Hinamori, “One day, I’ll take you to visit them if you want.” It was strange. At times, both of them would try to not involve the other too much in their lives in an effort to not entangle the world of the living and afterlife, but at other times, it only felt natural to do so. They wanted to share parts of their lives with each other, but, again, they had to be careful. He was a soul reaper captain, and she was a young human. Inviting her to visit his family, something he has never done, was playing with fire, and he knew it.

When he noticed there was no response from the teenager, he glanced over his shoulder. Karin laid curled in her blankets, hair splayed on the pillow, and face relaxed as she slept. Toshiro smiled again and returned his zanpakuto to his back. He found a notebook on her desk and wrote a short note. Afterall, it was rude to leave without saying goodbye. His granny had taught him better. He smiled soft at her again before jumping out her window back to his life of monsters and paperwork grateful for the time he shared with her.

* * *

Karin woke slowly. It had been a while since she had slept so well and woken up without an alarm. She looked at her phone which read 11:03. _Not too bad._

The spot next to her bed was empty, and there was a small pile of snow under her window. _That dumbass – no wonder it's fucking so cold!_

She got up to scoop as much snow out of her room as possible and close the window, and in order to do so, she went to grab the abandoned cup on her desk. She had left it there while the was doing homework on Friday while the banana bread was baking.

Karin noticed her notebook open and a small note which read, “I had a wonderful time. I hope you did too. Until next time. -HK” That was sweet. Maybe a little old fashioned, but definitely sweet.

Seeing as it was Sunday, the teenager hopped back into the warmth of her bed after successfully clearing the snow mound and locking her window. She grabbed her phone and quickly typed a message with her thawing fingers.

“Morning! Your note was sweet – next time please close my window all the way. I can make snowmen outside.”

Minutes later, Karin got two texts back, “Thought you might miss me, so I figured a bit of snow might do the trick.” “But yes, I can do that, sorry.”

She rolled her eyes and started to laugh her ass off. Since when did he try to be funny? 

She spent the rest of the ‘morning’ lazing in bed distracting the captain from his work. Eventually, she got up and started her day, he got back to work, and life went back to the way it was. After all, they already had a good thing going. Why risk it all and mess it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will prob not be this long as a heads up!


	12. Cling-wrap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I may or may not know how to write romance haha! Guess this fic really is still making me try new things! As always, thank you so much for reading and hitting me up with kudos, bookmarks, and comments!! They really make my day!! <3
> 
> p.s. I am starting to think about doing more timeskips so we can really get this show on the road. I mapped out the rest of the fic, so I think doing some good ol' 'this happened during the timeskip' moments might be helpful?? Idk no one is here for quality content, so guess I'll give it a go!

Tap. Tap.

Karin rolled out of bed and walked to the window in order investigate the noise. Pulling back the curtain, a familiar pair of cerulean eyes stared back at her. The young adult opened the window.

“What are you doing here?” curiosity apparent in her voice. It had been two hours since her and Yuzu opened up to their family about their powers, and Karin had finally started drifting to sleep.

The soul reaper stood on an invisible floor below her window and leaned his arms on her windowsill. “I wanted to see how it went.” His reason was plain and simple, but still… why did he have to come see her _now_? Why not in the morning? It wasn’t like his appearance was unwelcome by any means, but Karin was puzzled. She had started feeling a little restless after being away from the captain for several hours. Dare she say, she was feeling clingy. But there was no reason to act or feel that way – hence why the 24-year-old was confused. _Maybe Toshiro feels the same?_

“Do you want to talk here or…?”

He extended his hand to her like he used to do all those years ago. It was an unspoken invitation they both knew well.

“One second, lemme change,” she stepped away from the window as her friend turned around. Toshiro had assumed she was going to change clothes not into her soul reaper form. Karin laughed at that realization as Aki tucked back into bed.

The two flash stepped to a building on the outskirts of town where the stars could be seen and took a seat side by side. Both tried to ignore their accidental proximity to the other, but with every brush of their clothes, it was almost impossible to ignore.

The two enjoyed the silence for a while before Karin spoke, “Dad took it surprisingly well, Ichigo looked like he was trying to catch flies the whole time, and Orihime was happy for us.” She snorted at the memory and began to tell her best friend everything that had happened without sparing any of the juicy details.

He laughed at Isshin’s antics and remarked, “Sounds like something he would do.”

When she was done, they resumed stargazing until Toshiro spoke up again, “I’ll report to the head captain tomorrow then,” he turned and smiled at her, “I’m glad it went well, Karin.”

She would have smiled back, but opted for a pout instead, “Are you sure the head captain has to know about this?”

He scoffed, “With how much of a fucking handful your brother is? Yes, and I assume he would want to meet you and Yuzu too.”

Karin sighed, “I know.”

The two turned back to the stars overhead. Light from the town behind them obscured most of the constellations above, but there were enough stars to happily look at. _Maybe next time I should take her out to the woods now that she can flash step,_ Toshiro thought as the wind began to pick up making Karin’s hair whip around. She tucked it behind her ear absentmindedly, and it snatched his breath from him. Suddenly, he was transported back to her senior year when he had missed the winter formal. Old feelings began to thaw and resurface as a blush crossed his cheeks.

“You think I’ll be as much of a handful?” She grinned at the boy next to her. _God,_ he was so fucked. Her playful grin tickled his heart like butterflies. Hell, he could swear Hyorinmaru was chasing said butterflies.

He shook his head as a small laugh escaped his lips. “I hope not. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get into half the fights your brother got into.”

“Sounds like a challenge.”

“It is not.”

“Yet.”

He gave her an unimpressed look to which Karin laughed at, “Fine! Fine! Not as many fights as Ichigo, But!” She thrust her finger up to the stars above. “I will instead continue to be the thorn in your side even after death.” She finished by pointing at the boy next to her.

“You’re not a thorn in my side,” Toshiro mumbled looking away from her.

The silence between them became awkward.

“It’s late. I should get you home,” he sighed and got up, his blush never dissipating.

“Sounds good,” Karin yawned before they both began their short trip home.

He stayed on the windowsill once she had gotten back into her body. Neither made any move as the air between them became thick. Toshiro stared at the woman before him trying to understand the fire which had just been set inside of him. There was a pull. A pull to stay. A pull to never leave her side. It wasn’t like his need to protect Hinamori or supervise Matsumoto. There was something _else_ about her. She was beautiful, intelligent, strong, and saw him for him. _It must be related to our zanpakuto… it can’t be…_

Karin coughed. She didn’t want him to leave, but it was late, and she was tired.

“Sorry, uh, sleep well.” Toshiro was flustered. That was a rare sight.

“You too. See you tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

He still didn’t move.

“Toshiro.”

“Right!” Karin chuckled as the boy floundered off her ledge. His actions confirming to her that whatever pull she felt, he felt as well. Karin shook her head as she locked her window and drew the curtain. _My younger self would be so happy,_ she sighed sinking into bed. The truth was she had felt something towards the captain, but now that she was older and he was… well, the same, her feelings had shifted. Sure, he was technically older than her, but he was also still a kid.

 _If only he aged..._ She mused and drifted off to dream of a dragon twisting through sherbet colored clouds.

* * *

It was the next day. At the moment, Karin and Toshiro were in Urahara’s basement preparing to train together. The shop owner, Tessai, Yoruichi, and him all had a meeting before Karin came in for training about next steps.

“So, let me get this straight.” The boy had not been any less frazzled today, so his ‘report’ of the morning was jumbled. “You’re telling me that Yoruichi will take Yuzu and I to see the head captain some point soon.”

He nodded.

“And we are not telling anyone about our zanpakuto… thing?”

He nodded again, “Yes. Other than Matsumoto, no one in the Soul Society knows.” Urahara had let the secret slip to the lieutenant on purpose seeing as the busty blonde would probably figure it out on her own and could help cover their asses if need be. She could be surprisingly tight lipped if need be.

“Not even the head captain?”

He shook his head no.

“Why?”

“Could be dangerous.”

“Isn’t that withholding information? There is no way that’s not frowned upon.”

“Maybe we tell him later then.”

The black-haired human huffed at him and threw her hands to her hips, “Alright, what’s up? You’ve been acting weird since last night.”

“Nothing is wrong,” he lied through his teeth. How is he supposed to say, ‘I feel very attached to you, and I don’t want to leave your side. Ever. I don’t know why I feel like this, and it’s scaring me? I also may or may not be developing a small crush on you.’ Exactly. He doesn’t. That’s how he says it.

“Bullshit.”

“Karin,” his eyebrow began to twitch.

“I know you feel it too.”

He just looked at her shocked. _She also?_

“This weird ass codependency-ish thing?” She gestured between them. “We’re like goddamned cling-wrap.”

He gulped and nodded his head. He was acting childish, and they both knew it.

“I’m guessing it has something to do with our zanpakuto bond, so if you would please stop acting like a weirdo that would be great.”

“It’s just that I’ve never felt like this before?” He finally spoke up and looked away from the woman in front of him embarrassed.

“I know. This is just as new to me as it is to you.” Kungetsu paced in her head as she came up with an idea. “Why don’t we try going into our inner worlds? I’m sure your zanpakuto has been just as restless as mine!” Who knew there would ever be a time when she would be the calm and sensible one in their relationship?

The idea wasn’t half bad, so the two sat facing each other with swords laying side by side. Karin entered her inner world with ease and was greeted by a very eager Kungestsu.

“You two are both so thick headed sometimes,” the tiger mocked while shaking leaves off her back.

“I take it this is why you have been so hyperactive then.” The soon-to-be-official-substitute-soul-reaper walked up to the tiger and began scratching behind her ears. It had recently become part of their routine. Kungetsu purred at her wielder’s actions.

After sufficient ear scratches, Karin continued, “So, now what?”

The fire tiger’s thick, black tipped ears perked up. She had been careful telling her wielder about the bond with the ice dragon. In part because she had forgotten most of it with being reborn as Karin’s zanpakuto, but also, so that the girl’s relationship with the ice dragon’s wielder would not be strained and broken. Therefore, when the time was right, Kungetsu would give her information.

“Well, if there is a connection between here and the ice dragon’s world then…” Maybe ‘give’ wasn’t the right word. Kungetsu only ‘gave’ information up if necessary. More often than not, she would help the young adult figure it out. Karin had made her peace with that days ago and found it fairly enjoyable seeing as the tiger would reveal the answer if she really was missing the mark.

“Then if there is a connection metaphysically, there might also be a physical one?”

“You’re smarter than you let on, young one.” The oversized cat lowered its head and rubbed her arm subtly requesting more pets. Karin happily obliged.

“Do you know where it is? Or do we need to find it?”

“I have an idea, but I’m not certain.” Kungetsu kneeled signaling the human to hop on. Her zanpakuto was clearly eager to meet her other half.

“Let’s go check it out then!” Karin grabbed the loose skin behind her zanpakuto’s neck and hoisted herself up. The fire laden fur was warm to the touch and would never burn her.

The two searched the dense underlit forest for any possibilities. Karin understood what the tiger meant by ‘feeling’. The area she took her too reminded Karin of Toshiro’s spiritual pressure right after he left her the other night. They were footsteps to be tracked. The ever-present night sky dazzled above as the tiger and girl traversed the mountain. Until, eventually, the pair found a cave.

The cave was pitch black and cool. Kungetsu’s glow barely lit the cave as they went deeper. This had to be it. As the rock surrounding them got closer, the air became cooler and little purple crystals began to appear. The crystals became larger the further they went. They reminded Karin of amethyst, but these crystals were larger and also glowed a feint violet light. As they explored deeper, the cave became covered in crystal. Karin’s slate gray eyes sparkled at the sight.

The cave slanted upwards and an indigo sky greeted them. Crawling out of the crystalline cave, Karin and Kungetsu were greeted by a small valley. There was a large lake to the left with a small waterfall. The trees were not very dense and sported green oak-like leaves. The sky looked to be just teetering between night and day with a small number of stars visible. Fireflies, bioluminescent mushrooms, and flowers similar to the ones in her forest glowed in the gently lit area. The cave behind them doing the same. Across from them was a densely wooded area with thicker pine trees and moss. Birds nestled in some of the trees and fish jumped out of the small creek which led to the lake. Absentmindedly, the woman dismounted off her zanpakuto spirit.

“Karin!”

She turned to Toshiro’s voice coming from above the thicket. He was on top of who Karin assumed to be Hyorinmaru, who rather gracefully, landed in the valley. The small soul reaper slid off and walked towards her drinking in their surroundings.

“This is impossible…” He looked up at her but quickly turned around at the commotion behind himself.

Kungetsu had sprinted to the dragon and lunged at him. The two were wrestling until a puff of smoke exploded around them. The soul reapers shot each other confused glances yet returned their attention to the zanpakuto after hearing laughter. The light colored smoke dissipated to reveal who humanoid versions of their zanpakuto who were laughing and hugging in the grass.

“Should we… give them a moment?”

“Probably.” Karin turned on her heel and walked to the lake’s edge.

“I didn’t know they could do that.” Karin chuckled sitting on a nearby log.

“Me neither. Although, it does explain Hyorinmaru’s impatience to get here.” He joined her on the smooth driftwood.

“Same with Kungetsu. I don’t think she has ever been that quick to get to the point before.”

“It would also explain why we are feeling so attached to each other…”

“I guess it would,” she hummed. “I wonder if we can visit each other’s inner worlds or if this is as far as we can go.”

“You can visit each other’s inner worlds. It’s just that we can’t do this,” Kungetsu strode up to the pair gesturing to her form, “in each other’s inner worlds.” Kungetsu’s skin was tanned and her eyes were the same brilliant emerald green. She wore loose black pants which cuffed at the ankles, short black scuffed up combat boots, and a dark gray binding around her chest. Her hair was in long loose waves except for two pieces in the front which were braided and fastened in the back. It was a deep maroon with glowing embers at the tips. There was a large traditional tattoo of a tiger on her back which extended onto her right bicep, and lastly, there were two orange tiger ears with black tips and a tail to match wrapped around her waist.

“This is called the shared inner world.” Hyorinmaru spoke joining them. He was wearing a pale blue kimono with a navy stipe around each arm which was open to reveal a darker blue chest piece underneath. The kimono was connected at the top with a green sash attached with star-like clips similar to the one his wielder wore. He had ice along his arms, legs, and neck akin to Toshiro’s bankai. The dragon had ice talons as well as tail which rested behind him. His hair was longer than Kungetsu’s and teal, and he had no tattoo. Instead, he had a light blue X-shaped mark on his face between his slate grey eyes.

“Very creative, isn’t it?” The tiger-lady snickered. “You two probably have a lot of questions huh?” She waved her hand for them to follow.

“Ya. So, how exactly does this work?” Karin ran up to her as they found a patch of grass to sit in.

“Well, a long time ago, there were three soul blades which were forged in the royal palace in order to protect the balance of the world. Hyorinmaru and I made up one of these swords,” her jade eyes met the ashen eyes of the man next to her. “One day, there was a power crazed soul reaper by the name of Tokugawa Ariyori who used an ancient artifact called the Oin to split the three blades into six separate swords. From then on, we had been searching for each other.”

“This is the first time we have been able to meet since then.” The stoic man spoke up.

“Now that you two are together, will you go back to be a soul blade?” Toshiro looked between the two. As different as they seemed, the two were undoubtably a pair.

His zanpakuto shook his head no. “When Tokugawa shattered the soul blades, the damage was irreversible.”

“Besides, I’d argue we are stronger this way.” 

The dragon hummed in response.

“So, I’m sure both of you are wondering what this means for you two.” She unwrapped her tail from her waist and laid it in the grass near the dragon’s tail. That small motion completely explained their anxiousness of separation to the soul reapers who nodded at the tiger’s words.

“Now that Hyorinmaru and I are physically separate swords, it means both of you can wield our power. To be clear this means, Karin, you can wield ice, and, Toshiro, you can wield fire. I imagine your abilities will be the same just with a different element.”

“It will take time to master the other. You will have to visit the other’s inner world before even beginning.”

“Can we use both powers at the same time?” Karin wondered in astonishment.

Her zanpakuto laughed, “Always getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you? One day maybe, but not in the near future at all.”

“What should we do to start?” Toshiro raised a white eyebrow to the zanpakuto.

“Our power is one of teamwork, so you two first need to focus on your companionship and communication.” His dragon responded.

“You’ll probably have to do some growing too, kiddo,” Kungetsu smirked at the smaller soul reaper who frowned disapprovingly. “Now,” she clapped her hands and stood. “You two should go train. Leave our blades next to each other when you’re not sparring, ok?”

The soul reapers followed their zanpakuto to opposite side of the clearing still processing everything. Hyorinmaru stretched his arms above his head as Kungetsu did the opposite touching her hands on the grass below. With another silvery puff, the pair returned to their elemental forms and beckoned their wielders to their backs.

Karin and Kungetsu once again entered the amethyst-like cave as Toshiro and Hyorinmaru returned to their crevice above the coniferous trees.

The duo woke from their inner worlds and stared in shock at each other and the pair of blades between them.

Karin stood and dusted off her hakama. Her best friend did the same. “I need to process all of that,” she returned her short sword to her right hip. “Wanna spar?”

“You’re on.” His blue eyes sparked with competition. The two of them had come to enjoy training together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started an AU! I am going to focus on this fic first because I am determined to finish this damnit! I must fulfill my middle school dreams and complete this cheesy work! So, I left the ghost hunting AU with one intro chapter if you want to check it out!!


	13. Head Captain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Badda bing badda boom; another chapter!! Please let me know how you feel about this chapter! I tried to write Orihime how I wish she would have been in the anime, but uhhhhh idk how to write lmao (we been knew though right?). I'm also still trying to figure out how to write ichihime, so it might seem a little ooc...
> 
> As always, thank you for all your comments, kudos, and bookmarks!! They are super motivating!! Please enjoy this chapter!

“Good. Again.” Yoruichi commanded giving her pupil no rest. The young woman wiped her brow of sweat, exhausted, but too stubborn to give up. She charged once again.

Two weeks had flown by for Kurosaki Karin. Life had remained the same with working in the clinic, training, and spending time with family during their Friday night dinners. Ichika had gone home with her parents, and Toshiro and Matumoto returned to their paperwork and sake not long after.

His departure hadn’t been easy. The sort of mismatched pair had been practically sewn together and shared almost every waking moment together. Hyorinmaru chalked it up to the strengthening of their soul bond to which Kungetsu agreed cheerfully. To Karin, their rekindled relationship felt like old times albeit more intense. However, unbeknownst to her, the feelings once believed to be just a fluke kept pinching at the frosty boy’s insides. No matter how hard they tried to take root, he never allowed himself to entertain the idea of them being something _more_.

Thwam!

Karin slid down the rocky surface after receiving a mean right hook from the violet-haired woman. Honestly, it was a wonder there were still intact boulders in the shop owner’s training ground.

“That’s enough for today. I’ll see you and Yuzu tomorrow at 2 p.m. sharp.” The woman shifted into a black cat no doubt ready to seek out a certain dark green clad man for pets.

“Ok,” her apprentice grumbled heaving herself upright while the cat began to stroll away. Tomorrow was the long-awaited day. The day she would meet the Head Captain.

* * *

“Once we enter the senkaimon, you can’t stop running, understand?” The twins nodded their heads eager to depart. For the last ten minutes, the inhabitants of Urahara’s shop had been giving tips and pointers, and as welcome as they were, Karin was getting antsy to get a move on. Plus, it was only a matter of time before their brother would realize their spiritual pressures had gone. He had never been extremely skilled in sensing spiritual pressures, but when it came to his little sisters, wife, and son, he was subconsciously honed in on them.

“Ready?” The shop owner’s tone became serious. The twins looked at each other and nodded again. Both in sync with each other - other than their clothes. Karin was in her soul reaper form, and Yuzu dressed in a white and blue sundress. She didn’t have a uniform like her sister, but she thought it would be fun to dress more ‘quincy-y’ as she had proclaimed that morning. Yoruichi stood in front of the young adults as two shoji doors appeared.

“Stay close!” The woman began to run towards the white light with her students in tow. The three ran into an eerie purple tunnel at a pace Yuzu could keep up with. If Karin remembered correctly, Tessai had labeled his drawing of this area ‘Dangai’. Karin had passed through the senkaimon with her soul ticket before, but she had never been this way.

Their run ended similarly to had it began; there was another white light and doors. However, these doors were much larger and sat at the end of a wide walkway. There were scarcely any clouds in the sky, and it was pleasantly warm outside. Yuzu looked around in awe at the sprawling buildings of the Seireitei.

“Welcome to the Soul Society.” Yoruichi smirked and continued to move forward. “We have about fifteen minutes until the meeting which should be just enough time.”

“Enough time for what?” Karin held onto her sister’s hand to help guide the dirty blonde as she soaked in the world Ichigo and their father knew so well.

“To get to the meeting. Kisuke and I figured you two should be able to get from here to Squad 1 in case anything were to happen.” The woman’s golden eyes flashed Karin’s pewter ones with a hint of warning. Karin immediately thought of Ichika and her extended stay with her brother.

“Jeez, that’s ominous.” She opted for a usual snide comment to lighten the mood, but she made sure to make eye contact with the woman in front, letting her know she got the message. _Something’s going on…_

The group continued to traverse the winding passageways of the Seireitei. The twins tried to commit every left and right to memory, but everything looked the same making it extremely difficult to memorize.

Eventually, after a forgotten amount of twists and turns, the three came upon a door with a large number one written in kanji. The first division barracks was fairly different to the tenth’s. Where the tenth felt practical and down-to-earth, the first was rigid and almost militaristic. They entered a courtyard which bordered a tall building with red stairs. There were smaller buildings around the field which looked to be housing.

Yoruichi led them to the stairs but stopped before the first step. “You know what,” she scooped the two adults without any strain and began to flash step up the stairs. Once at the top, she set the two down, “Alright, let’s keep moving.” Karin, used to the movement, held onto her sister whose legs wobbled. There were a variety of walkways which led to other taller building in the area, and something in the distance caught the older twin’s eye.

“Karin, look,” the blonde pointed to the beautiful, delicate black butterfly which was fluttering towards them. She had seen them before whenever soul reapers received a message or took the senkaimon, and her eyes widened as it gracefully presented itself in front of their guide. Yoruichi raised a figure for the insect to land on and smirked as it flew away.

“There has been a slight change in plans. If you were to continue down this path and turned right, you would be at the Head Captain’s office.” She turned around and began down a different path.

“Where are we going now?” Yuzu’s curiosity evident in her voice.

Their mentor threw a laugh over her shoulder, “To where the Captain’s meetings are.”

“Why would we need to go there,” Yuzu continued as her sister paled. Going there must mean… _Shit._

“Well, it seems our meeting has turned into a Captains meeting.” The former Captain chuckled and continued before either twin could voice another question, “My best guess is word got out, and the other Captains were interested in meeting Ichigo’s litter sisters.” As if she could sense the dark-haired twin’s anxiety, she added, “Don’t worry too much, our purpose for being here is still the same.” She turned left and was greeted by woman with glasses and an armband with a kanji one on it.

“I’m Ise Nanao, the co-lieutenant of the first division. Everyone just arrived, allow me to escort you.” Her voice was authoritative yet friendly, and Karin couldn’t help but think that when the co-lieutenant wasn’t on duty, she would actually be pretty fun to be around. If she remembered Rangiku correctly, her suspicions were true.

They followed Nanao to another large set of doors which were open. She led them in and left after nodding to the man at the front of the room. Yoruichi stood in front of Captains entirely too comfortably. A familiar shock of white caught Karin’s eye, but she didn’t dare look anywhere but ahead.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it Head Captain Kyoraku.”

The man with the pink kimono and eye patch chuckled, “When have you been one to use titles, Yoruichi?”

“I’ll have you know; I am very respectful when need be.” She crossed her arms and the two laughed. It was clear these two knew each other well.

“Well, why don’t you introduce me to the two lovely ladies behind you?” Normally, his leisurely attitude would have sparked Karin’s rambunctiousness, but instead, her insides began churn. It reminded her of a fish desperately trying to fling itself from a hot, wooden dock back into the cool water from once it came. She kept her eyes fixed on the man lounging in his chair before her. She would be dammed if she allowed her nerves to get the better of her.

“These are former Captain of Squad 10 Shiba Isshin’s daughters and substitute soul reaper Kurosaki Ichigo’s twin sisters, Kurosaki Yuzu and Kurosaki Karin.” At the sound of her name, Karin felt all the eyes of the Captains settle on her shihakuso clad form. Toshiro’s eyes were among them, but strangely enough, calmed her slightly.

“I started working with Yuzu a little over a year ago when she came to Kisuke about a strange blue light protecting her from hollows. Since then, we have been overseeing her quincy training along with Ishida Uryu. Her powers along with spiritual pressure are still developing. As of right now, she is equipped to handle low-level hollows. We believe after sufficient training; she will become a powerful quincy.”

“It’s nice to meet you!” Yuzu bowed deeply which elicited a smile from the Head Captain. He was much more friendly than what Karin had imagined.

“As for this one,” the golden-eyed woman jutted her thumb towards the rowdier twin. “She came to Kiskue and I a little over six months ago about dreams which always seemed to end in something burning in her room.” Karin prayed to anything out there her teacher would omit her previous late-night alarm tendencies, but alas, Yoruichi loved to embarrass her. “She was setting her school’s fire alarm off routinely, so since then, Kisuke and I have been training her. Her spiritual pressure is immense, but she is proficient in controlling it. Her zanpakuto manifested around six months ago, and she has attained shikai. With more training, she will become a powerful soul reaper.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” She bowed less enthusiastically as her sister. She would have to thank Yoruichi later for keeping her and Toshiro’s zanpakuto connection a secret.

The Head Captain raised an eyebrow, “Any hollowification?” Several of the Captains stiffened while others burned holes into the nonchalant former Captain’s form. Clearly this was a touchy subject.

“Unlike Ichigo, neither has any other abilities. It seems that due to being twins, Yuzu inherited their quincy blood, and Karin inherited their soul reaper blood. Kisuke and I are unsure what the future holds, but once thing is certain, neither has any hollow or vizard abilities.” The room noticeably relaxed, and Karin couldn’t help but admire how calm and poised the Shihoin was.

Head Captain Kyoraku stood from his chair and cracked his back before standing tall. “It is a pleasure to meet both of you. I look forward to seeing your progress.” He shifted his gaze to Yuzu. “I have no jurisdiction over quincies. So, I really have no say in your training, but you will always be welcome here.” Yuzu smiled and bowed in thanks. His uncovered eye locked with Karin, “Captain Kuchiki Rukia,” the petite Captain who practically was an older sister to her, stepped out of line. “Will you give Kurosaki Karin a substitute soul reaper combat pass and teach her the ropes?” The soul reaper Captain behind her affirmed and retreated back to her spot next to a particularly creepy looking Captain.

“W- Wait.” Despite pretending to not be intimidated by all the people in the room, her voice wavered slightly. “What if I don’t want to be a substitute soul reaper like Ichigo?” All eyes were on her again.

The nonchalant Head Captain walked towards her chuckling, memories flashing in his mind, “Ichigo overstepped his substitute duties regularly. I wouldn’t use his experience as reference.” Karin looked up at the Head Captain noting a few stifled laughs at his words.

“Alright. But don’t expect me to clean up y’all’s shit like he did. I’m in medical school and would like to graduate with decent grades.” Any fear in her had subsided completely as the new substitute soul reaper accepted her fate. Karin actively tried to ignore the glaring green eyes behind her clearly trying to chastise her.

Head Captain Kyoraku laughed and put a hand on her shoulder, “I have a feeling I’m gonna like you, kid.” She rolled her eyes at the “kid” comment as he dismissed the meeting.

A majority of the Captains moved to leave while a hulking man with an eerie shimmer in his eye approached her. “So, you’re Ichigo’s sister huh?” Yoruichi grabbed onto Yuzu and flash stepped away leaving a confused Karin in her wake. “I wonder just how strong you are.” The same man towered above her brandishing a battle-worn sword. He wanted to fight? Here? Now?

“Kenpachi, outside.” The Head Captain yawned as he walked away from the room. Karin’s nerves contracted, fight or flight taking its full effect. Her confused gray eyes locked with the violet ones of the Captain she needed to see later. Rukia mouthed only one word which kickstarted Karin’s legs like a whip to a racehorse. ‘Run.’

“Oi!” The brute, Kenpachi, called after her as she tried to haul ass to safety. Some of the other Captains stood in doorway curious as to what was about to happen. Among them were a dark-haired man with an indifferent stare, a blonde man with angled bangs, a tall woman with short silver hair and a concerned gaze, Rukia, and Toshiro. Rukia, no doubt was ready to pull her out of harm’s way if needed. The other ice wielder on the other hand, dare she say, looked… amused?

Before she figured out how to pass the wall of people, the spiky-haired man forcefully swung down at her. Once pristine polished floorboards splintered despite the Head Captain’s order to ‘take it outside.’ Karin jumped out of the way of the jagged blade catching sight of her attacker’s haori, eleven. _Fuck._ Ichigo had told her stories of that division, including the numerous close calls with the Captain in front of her. _Fuck! Move! Move!!_ She screamed internally as she beelined for the door completely not above barreling through a few Captains to do so. Her saving grace of an opening appeared between the noble-looking and probably-tried-to-cut-my-own-bangs Captains.

She took it.

Without thinking, the brand-new substitute soul reaper leaped off the edge of the railing outside the building where the blood-thirsty man began his pursuit. Rukia gasped ready to race to the girl she thought of as a sister, but a flash of a white to her right halted her actions. Captain Hitsugaya had just flash stepped to hopefully get the young, rail-hopping woman to safety. Rukia turned to Kenpachi who was also ready to jump, “Captain Zaraki!” He turned annoyed at his hunt’s interruption. “She is in no place to spar with you yet.” The eleventh Captain’s interest had been snagged. “She isn’t her brother.”

He lowered his foot off the railing and shrugged, “Well that’s too bad,” and waltzed off to presumably torment his subordinates who would probably do so with open arms. The Kurosaki girl wouldn’t be worth his time today.

Rukia visibly relaxed and made her way to her office. The other Captains doing the same.

* * *

Jumping off a towering building was not one of her smartest ideas. The air zipped past her ears and bombarded her senses.

“Breathe,” a familiar voice echoed in her mind. “Concentrate.” With an inhale and determination to not splatter on the incoming ground, she remembered her training.

Zip. Zip.

Two flash steps later, she whipped her head around looking for the Squad 11 Captain from the safety of a roof.

Zip.

Her muscles prepared to flee again but stopped at the Captain before her. He appeared with a hand outstretched ready to flash step away. It was their unspoken invitation, only this time to safety. She thrust her clammy hand into his, and they took off bouncing roof to roof.

With one last push of her burning legs, the duo made it to Squad 10’s main office. Toshiro pushed through the door startling a napping Rangiku.

“Captain? Is everything ok? Oh, Karin!” The lieutenant moved to scoop the winded woman into her arms.

“Just Kenpachi.” The short Captain returned to his desk indifferently, leaving his best friend struggling in his lieutenant’s vice grip. The more struggle there was, the longer she would latch on. In short, there was nothing he could really do. Matsumoto wouldn’t seriously injure the new substitute.

“Oh? And how was the Captain’s meeting?” She wiggled her brows at her Captain.

“Ran-” Karin’s muffled plea escaped from the strawberry blonde’s bosom.

“It went well.” His calloused hands moved to sign the paperwork in front of himself. At a dramatic gasp, he didn’t bat an eye and reached for another paper.

“I could have died!” Karin’s adrenaline still seeped in her bloodstream.

“I would never~” Rangiku giggled matching the other woman’s volume.

“First, Ken-whatever-his-name-is tried to fight me. As soon as the meeting ended no less! Then, I jumped off th-” The 24-year-old was obviously overloaded as she continued on and on and on and on. “And I know how to flash step, but I-” Matsumoto presented a bottle of sake causing a vein to pop on her Captain’s forehead. “And I mean death by suffocation in breasts isn’t the worst way to go, but I would rather live-”

“Karin.”

She shut her mouth and turned her beet red face to him.

He sighed, “Don’t you need to be meeting with Captain Kuchiki?” Karin let out a quiet, “oh,” and Matsumoto cocked her head to the side in confusion. _Maybe a slow walk to the 13 th will help her._ “I’ll take you.” He rose from his chair and moved towards the door.

She smiled down sheepishly at him already looking more relaxed, “Thanks. I’ll see you soon Rangiku!”

A bubbly “have fun” slipped through the door before Toshiro shut it. He motioned for her to follow him, and the two walked a little closer than what was probably considered platonic. However, neither noticed because at this proximity, their zanpakuto could mingle with each other. The tiger and dragon able to frolic to their hearts’ content.

* * *

“Dad! Dad! Daaaad!”

“Ow! Hey, Hey bud, I’m awake.” The orange-haired man groaned rolling onto his side.

“Mom says it’s breakfast time,” his son slapped his arm. _Oh children._

“Got it. I’m getting up,” he let Kazui drag him downstairs to the kitchen table.

His wife giggled at their son’s antics. “Did you sleep well?”

Ichigo looked groggily towards the love of his life. The previous night he had felt dazed and panicked when suddenly, he wasn’t able to sense any spiritual pressures anymore. It scared him shitless, so he kinda went on a rampage to a ghost he knew resided down the street. The poor little boy spirit screamed at the sight of the normally very kindhearted man and was even more confused when he proclaimed, “I can still see you!” Orihime had been quick to follow and shove her husband’s ass back inside.

“Well enough. I still can’t feel anything though.” He embraced the caring woman like he did almost every morning. Both of their heart’s swelled when their son smooshed his way between them to be a part of the hug, and when he flashed the two a smile that could rival the sun, they almost melted.

The family of three’s Saturday was as relaxing as it could be with a 6-year-old child. After breakfast, they went to the park, and Ichigo’s chest swelled in pride as he watched his son help another child off the monkey bars. After, groceries needed to be purchased. Orihime’s experimental cooking still lingered even years after marriage, but after spending ample amounts of time with his more kitchen savvy sister, his loving wife’s cooking was much tamer. Dinner went smoothly, but while trying to put Kazui to bed, an all too familiar sound ripped through the air.

“A hollow?” The sleepy boy rubbed his eyes.

“Mmhm, I’ll go take care of it, bud.” The substitute soul reaper whose power rivaled that of many Captains stroked his son’s orange hair.

He shoved his father’s hand away and proclaimed, “No! I will protect you and mom!” Definitely Ichigo’s child alright. “Huh?”

Ichigo looked at his perplexed child, “What’s-”

“I can’t get out of my body! Daaaad!”

The adult mirrored his son’s face and tried to transform himself. His soul reaper form flashed in front of his body but slapped back into place as if someone had glued his soul to his physical form.

“Dad can’t either? Mooooom!” He had little to no time to process before he had to barrel down the hall after Kazui.

“What’s wrong Sweetie?” She knelt down to the small boy and flashed her husband a look of confusion. She had sensed the hollow as well, but it was an unspoken rule in their house that Ichigo would handle them. He kinda had a hero complex after all.

“Dad and I can’t transform! I want to protect you from the hollow!”

Her heart swelled at her son. _Just like his father,_ she mused with a laugh. “That is very sweet of you angel, but for right now, Mom is going to protect both of you, ok? Then we can talk about not being able to transform.” Her son nodded and ran to his father’s legs, grabbing on. “I’ll be right back.”

“Ori-”

“Ichigo, it’s ok. I got this.” Determination set in her brow; Ichigo hoisted his son up into his arms as Orihime slipped into some sandals. There was nothing he could do when she was like this. Plus, luckily, the hollow outside was small fry. He knew his wife could handle herself, but even the thought of her potentially getting injured set his jaw tight.

The hollow was loitering two houses down seemingly lost and purposeless. It swayed eerily like a weeping willow caught in a small breeze. Its arms were disproportionally large for the rest of its being and helped the creature to support itself. The mask was similar to most hollow’s its level, animalistic and plain. It didn’t seem to notice the orange-haired woman walking towards it.

“Koten Zanshun, I reject.” The command slipped out her mouth as to not alert the monster to her presence.

It was all over in quite literally a flash. A familiar orange flash. The hollow turned at the last minute invigorated at a prospective hunt. It moved to dash at her, but unfortunately for it, she was faster. Without a flinch, the hollow had been sliced in half. All before it could even take a single step. The last thing it saw being cold brown eyes glinting in the moonlight. She would never let anyone hurt her family.

* * *

The next morning, Orihime and her husband were woken by Kazui who was eager to see “Mr. Candy Man”. They had promised their son to visit Urahara about the recent happenings, so his wake-up chant wasn’t all too unexpected. Their morning went smoothly after with their 6-year-old son only getting antsy once the recognizable shop came into view.

“Ah, if it isn’t the Kurosakis~ How may I help you?” The shop owner greeted them.

“Mr. Candy Man!” Their soon ran to the familiar face and beamed at the small popsicle offered. His small hands accepted the cool treat and thanked the man. ‘Mr. Candy Man’ always wore a hat which obscured his eyes, but Kazui never feared him, rather, he adored the older man.

“I can’t sense spiritual pressures anymore, and Kazui and I can’t get into our soul reaper forms.” Ichigo explained as Orihime squeezed his hand in reassurance. This whole situation made them uneasy. _What is going on…_

Urahara’s smile turned sour.

“What?” Ichigo’s tone turned unsure.

This was not news the show owner expected to hear. Ururu poked her head in at the commotion. Seeing her boss’s face, she turned to Orihime, silently asking permission to take Kazui.

“Is something happening?” Orihime chimed in nodding to Ururu.

“The soul reaper stationed in Karakura Town went missing last night. He had similar symptoms. Here, let’s talk inside.”


	14. Toss a Coin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit over 1000 hits?!? I am in shock!! I am so happy people are reading this fic!! Thank you all for reading and especially for dropping kudos and comments!!! So, this chapter took foooorever to write (it's a beefy one and I even cut it down in some parts)!! I hope you enjoy it!! 
> 
> p.s. I have 0 idea really how medical school works, so if anything is incorrect, I'm so sorry haha!

“And these are the notes from class today.” The small Rilakkuma fumbled with the pages of the well-worn notebook. “Having a body is great and all, but this,” her words were strained as the paper slipped from her ample paws, “is annoying.” The cream-colored bear flopped down in exacerbation.

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it, Aki. Besides, if it’s that much of a problem we can always stuff you into a Barbie or something.” Karin mused while flipping the pages for her mod soul.

Aki thrust her paw into the book at the proper page. “Ha! Like this body isn’t what peak performance looks like.”

Karin chuckled at the bear before her. Her friends’ personalities had definitely been rubbing off on the typically quiet synthetic being. Said mod soul began instruction on the rotation the substitute soul reaper had missed.

It had been three months since Karin had been presented with the little wooden combat pass and all the responsibilities it came with, and she couldn’t be happier. The Head Captain had been right in that Ichigo was not the most textbook substitute soul reaper. Her duties were to assist with plusses and defeat hollows in her proximity. That was it. Hell, it was what she had been doing anyway! The hollows in Tokyo were normally only low-level hollows too, so arguably, her job was easier now than it had ever been. In celebration, and due to not switching with Aki particularly often anymore, Karin had let the mod soul pick a body. The Rilakkuma was small and easily fit into her backpack in case the substitute soul reaper needed to tend to her duties while technically in class, which is what happened today.

As her plushie explained the diagrams and notes depicting the clinical work typical of most third-year medical students, a light rap of the glass on the window caught both their attention. The sky had been clear that night, and the breeze was light, so it couldn’t be a storm or the trees outside. Swapping confused glances, the raven-haired woman left the desk and approached the shades. Giving the bear once last look, she began to open the blinds. _I swear if some ghost-_

A muffled “Hey,” left her zanpakuto cackling. It wasn’t just _some_ ghost. It was her best friend / soul bond buddy, Hitsugaya Toshiro. Kungetsu’s laughter subsided as her wielder began to open the window. The boy, scratch that, the young man stood on an invisible floor outside Karin’s apartment window. Undetected.

“Why are you hiding your spiritual pressure?” The young woman peered at the Captain as he entered her room.

“It’s good to see you too, Karin.” He didn’t even look her in the eye when he said that. Instead, he looked at his surroundings. Her room was fairly barren. A soccer poster and an alternative rock band poster were plastered on the wall beside the bed which was tucked in the corner to his left. There were two doors, presumably to a closet and the rest of the apartment, across from him. On the right was a desk with shelves above it. A lone soccer ball sat among storage bins, video game pop figurines, and two potted plants on the shelves. The lamp on the desk was on, backlighting a kon-like mod soul. He nodded at the plush hoping it would be half as energetic as the lion.

Karin rolled her eyes while closing the window. Before she could retort, Toshiro continued, “I took a few days off.”

“Congrats?” Now she was just confused. First, he shows up hiding his spiritual pressure, then, he had the audacity to grow up in such a short amount of time, and now, he was being cryptic? “Why are you here?”

“Thought I’d surprise you.” He noticed the open backpack next to the desk. Its containments strewn about the desk each demanding to be looked at. It reminded him of the desk he left Matsumoto with.

“Why?”

He finally met her eyes. Head on, no less. He had to be at least 16 now. Well, in human years of course. “That’s not very nice,” he punctuated with a raised eyebrow to which Karin responded with an indifferent shrug.

“I came to see you.” His bluntness was not unfamiliar, but something about this older-looking Toshiro paired with the dragon and tiger practically buzzing in their minds brought heat to her cheeks.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be much fun. I have class and an early shift tomorrow.” Despite the warmth on her face, the woman retained a bored face to match the serious one before her. This was a dance the two had played her whole life. Memorized to the point it was comfortable. The boundaries set between childhood friends were invisible but practically made of steel.

But steel can bend.

He shrugged. “I really just wanted to be around you, so that doesn’t bother me.” Green eyes softened; the separation between realms had been quite difficult on the pair. While they could communicate, it was never the same as being in-person. Their spiritual pressures melded like a lava lamp, never mixing but always better together. Without the other, they were just oil and water, nothing interesting. The distance was especially hard on their zanpakuto who noticeably withdrew into solidarity when the other was gone. It was undeniable that the two loved each other. Karin had pretended to not see the feather-light kisses her zanpakuto would sneak to the dragon in their shared inner world, but they both knew she had seen. Since, the tiger and woman had shared knowing glances but not said a word. That conversation would occur at the right time, and Karin didn’t want to push it out of fear as to what that would mean for her and the growing soul reaper now in front of her.

“Since when do you age?” Grey eyes narrowed in attempt to lighten the mood; she wouldn’t let old feelings fester. Plus, even if he did age, he still looked like a minor. Therefore, 100% off limits regardless of actual age. Kungestu snickered at her conflict and resolve.

Toshiro huffed, clearly the topic of his appearance had been common lately. “Since now.”

“Why now of all times though?” The woman scooped the bear off the mess of notes and motioned for her friend to sit.

He did so thankfully and answered while his ‘hostess’ flopped onto her bed. “I assume it has something to do with,” he gestured between them. Karin cocked her head to the side, impart because she was confused, but mainly because she wanted him to say whatever it was out loud. Gesturing must have meant he felt at least a little uncomfortable voicing it, and it was practically her job to tease the snowy Captain relentlessly. Hence the head tilt for clarification.

His slightly tanned skin turned blush as he looked away and tried to remain nonchalant. “Our soul bond. I think we are syncing up.”

“Ah. Like periods, got it.” She flashed him a sly grin knowing her analogy would poke the man before her. Oh, and it did. It had to have been several months since Karin was successful in making a vein visible. Deciding to let him breathe, she added, “How are you feeling? Achy?”

“Extremely.” His shoulders slouched as he exhaled. Growing half a foot had not been exactly comfortable. The Captain had to start taking stretching breaks from paperwork unless he wanted to rust his legs into place. Matsumoto had caught him early on and, unfortunately for him, began joining him. It had only gotten worse when she had invited Hinamori and Kira a week later. He still shuttered at the memory of it.

The dark-haired woman began ruffling through the draws of the nightstand next to her bed. With a familiar sound of pills in a bottle, she said, “Here, take two of these. Lemme go get you some water.” She fished out two of the small red pills and dropped them into Toshiro’s palm. “It’s ibuprofen. It’ll help with the pain.”

He waited patiently as the Karin went to get a glass of water and made eye contact with the animated bear.

“It’s Aki,” the Rilakkuma moved to the head of the bed and sat on the pillows. She enjoyed the elevated spot; it let her see both people as well as the pothos on the shelf which was in some serious need of pruning. The soul reaper made an “oh” face at the realization of Karin’s mod soul inhabiting the cream-colored bear. He had only met her twice, so this was really their only formal introduction.

“Here you go.” The mod soul’s owner reentered the room and handed him the glass. After the little pills had been taken, she sat on the ground and added, “Come sit in front of me.” It was now Toshiro’s turn to look confused and force her to explain herself. He furrowed his brows together and made no motion to move. Karin crossed her arms and frowned knowing all too well what he was pulling. “Just do it.”

Toshiro set the water on a paperless part of the desk and sat in front of the 24-year-old. He was still suspicious as to why now of all times Karin wanted to preform Jinzen together but closed his eyes anyway. “No, with your back facing me.” Green eyes snapped open to the young woman’s annoyed tone.

“What are you doing?” He matched his tone to hers while following her instruction cautiously.

“You’re making this weirder than it has to be.”

He felt her hands delicately wrap around Hyorinmaru’s sheath and begin to lift it off his back. They had never handled the other’s zanpakuto before, so the jolt of electricity which traveled through the two of them was startling.

“What are you doing!?” The alarmed tone in his voice was apparent.

“Do you want a massage or not, beansprout?!” Her tone exasperated.

Toshiro’s face flushed while allowing her to finish removing Hyorinmaru. Karin set the long sword to the side noticing movement from it’s wielder.

“Someone’s eager~” Kungestsu giggled no doubt with the dragon nodding by her side. Toshiro had taken off his haori and folded it next to his sword. Whether he did this so it wouldn’t get wrinkled or so Karin had less fabric to work through was uncertain. Although their zanpakuto believed the answer was obvious.

Karin set to work on the knots in his shoulders and upper back. They were silent for the majority of the massage save for asking about particular pain or what not. Toshiro would never admit it willingly, but Karin was good. Little did he know that she was toying around with the idea of sports medicine and had googled massage techniques along with physical therapy exercises for a friend of hers last term. Aches and pains were the medical student’s forte.

“How long are you here for?” Her hushed tone was not lost on him. She definitely had caught him almost dozing off.

“Three days, if that’s alright.” Even if she hadn’t noticed the captain turning to putty in her hands, his relaxed voice completely gave him away.

“Ya, of course. You’ll have to sleep on the couch, so if you’re fine with that…”

“I am. Besides, I still fit on it anyway.”

Her movements slowed while the cogwheels in her brain worked overtime. “Did… you just make a joke about your height?”

The hum of a yes from the soul reaper captain sent the substitute soul reaper into a fit of laughter. They both knew these next three days were going to be enjoyable.

* * *

Bum bum bum bum bum.

Bum bum bum bum bum.

Bum bum bum bu-

It was too early. Ass crack of dawn too early.

Karin rolled out of bed and went through the motions of getting ready for her 5 A.M. rotation. _Whoever designed medical school was the devil incarnate_ , the begrudged thought circulated in her mind while she stuffed her hair into a bun that would need to be fixed later. Passing the sofa, she eyed the mop of white occupying it. _I must have woken up horny_ , she reasoned as the cause to her desire to snuggle her way between his arms – which were more muscular than she had noticed before... _Stop it. Get a hold of yourself._ But the thoughts attempted to resurface as her current craving for sleep and renewing attraction melted together. Who knew an old band t-shirt and fluffy blanket would be all she needed. _Karin. No. He is still physically a child!_ Taring grey eyes from the oh so warm and inviting pile of blankets that was her _best friend_ , Kungestu intervened, “You know he is only going to get older from here.”

_But he is not old enough yet! It’s wrong!!_

“I’m not saying to jump him. Just be patient. He’ll grow sooner than you think. Now move along, you’re going to be late.”

Karin glanced at her phone, 4:38, _Fuck!_

* * *

The day passed normally for the Kurosaki twins. Each attended their rotations and classes, ate lunch with friends, and managed to do so without any naps which was a feat in and of itself.

Since Karin had an early shift, her day ended a few hours before her sister’s which was probably for the best. The night before, she had mentioned to her sister about their guest to which the smaller girl practically squealed in excitement. Karin didn’t even want to think about the ideas floating around in her twin’s mind because while she may be the more tomboyish of the two, Yuzu was undoubtably the dirty minded one.

The wink used at the end of a text explaining she would be going out with friends that night was not lost on the dark-haired twin. Granted it was imbedded in a conversation of how Yuzu wouldn’t be able to cook that night. Karin reassured her that she didn’t need to always cook for her but knew her reasoning fell on deaf ears. Yuzu found solace in cooking and house chores. They were relaxing for her, and while Karin had practically forced her twin to let her bear some of the responsibility, Yuzu was persistent. No doubt she would be persistent about her and her white-haired guest as well.

Just at the thought of what was to come, Karin shook her head while heading home. The twins moved into a miniscule two-bedroom apartment fifteen minutes from campus for their third year of medical school. Previously, they had lived separate, but after all this soul reaper and quincy business, they figured it would be safer to live with each other. Not to mention, they missed living under the same roof anyway.

“I’m back,” she called into the abode while toeing her worn Vans off.

“Welcome back.” She knew he would in her apartment, but the domesticity of him, on her couch, in a comfy sweater, reading a book, and wrapped up in that damn blanket sent a pang deep in her chest. It didn’t help that his eyes were warm and inviting like the ocean in August and that he _smiled_ at her too.

“Are you ok?” Furrowed brows marred the tranquility which had just rested on his face. Karin stood in the doorway still, mouth slightly tense, with wide eyes. She was frozen and not by his will.

“Karin?”

Toshiro moved to get up before hearing his friend stammering, “I’m- I’m fine! Just had… a long day.” She quickly changed the topic in order to distract herself, “Yuzu won’t be home until late, so we are on our own for dinner,” he nodded and she continued, “I have some assignments I need to finish, so… I’ll be in my room.”

“After you’re done, we should try meditating again.” The fluffy sweater and black jean clad soul reaper re-opened his book as Karin moved towards her room almost missing the nod she gave. He wasn’t sure why she was so scatterbrained and chalked it up to a procedure or something medical she needed to learn.

* * *

“You have to prove your worth.”

“So, being bonded to me isn’t enough?”

“It is something you must do.”

“Is it really though?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. So then how do I ‘prove my worth’?”

“You will fight.”

“You?”

“No, Kusaka.”

“Is that that guy who used to-”

“Yes.”

“Ew. Why?”

“Because it is symbol-”

“You kinda get a round now that I think about it. First, Toshiro, then Kusaka, now me. That’s a-”

“Enough!”

The temperature began to drop as the ice dragon willed the snow and ice to his control. Karin closed her mouth hopeful she didn’t piss him off too much.

Currently, Toshiro and Karin had been whisked away by the other’s zanpakuto in order to begin ‘solidifying the bond’ as Hyorinmanru had put it. And apparently, she was doing the opposite at the moment. The dragon peered at her with cold grey eyes which easily rivaled her own.

“I’m sorry. I’m ready to begin.” She bowed her head in respect.

The ice master summoned an icy mirage of a man long dead for the woman with his other half.

* * *

Leaves rustled and trees ached as the temperate forest forever stretched into night. The tiger had disappeared with only a single command, “Find me.”

Which was easier said than done.

Toshiro had hiked over countless acres yet still couldn’t even sense Kungestu. He had found other inhabitants of the underlit forest, but not the one he wanted. He must have been at this for at least an hour, and as time ticked on, a hollow sinking feeling fell into the pit of his stomach. He knew this feeling all too well.

Loneliness.

It ate away at his carefully crafted courage reducing the hundred and something year old to mere decades. Suddenly, the forest eroded away to a familiar village. Memories began to play like broken records all around him.

Children pointing. Avoiding. Laughing. Adult’s staring. Whispering. Gently guiding their own away.

His heart rapidly pumped with each recall, and emotions thought to have been forgotten were forcing themselves back up. The lump in his throat wouldn’t win, he decided. Red, puffy eyes of a crying child, of him, lost in an empty village turned to the older version.

“Find me.” The voice didn’t come from the abandoned child but from behind himself. Toshiro turned finding the forest’s entrance beckoning him back. The Captain looked back to where his past was displayed only to find a brown-haired girl and old woman guiding the small rejected soul away. He watched as the little girl with pig tails, Hinamori, grabbed the boy’s, his, hand, and talk animatedly to the smiling woman, Granny. The trio met a busty woman with short hair who began to scold the now 11-looking child in a plain black shihakusho. Matsumoto. His family.

Panic began to crawl down his shoulders into an uncomfortable embrace. A blurr of white and black swept in-between him and the memory. A soccer ball. It rolled into the forest.

“Find me.”

His feet knew before his brain did what the soccer ball meant. Toshiro sprinted into the otherworldly sea of reds and oranges. He knew who would be at the other end of the soccer ball.

Terror swelled into every nerve of the young man’s body. He knew what isolation and abandonment felt like. He knew what it felt like to be different. To be unusual. To be unwelcomed. But, he also knew what acceptance felt like. What a family and home felt like. What friends felt like. He knew what love felt like.

The soccer ball was long gone, but Toshiro still clawed his way towards the elusive tiger. He would not lose to the bottomless pit of isolation which threatened to drown him. A fire erupted in the pit of his stomach replacing self-pity with yearning. He would not lose what he had. The gifts he was given. He would not lose himself.

Determined Toshiro began flash stepping as fast as his body would allow. His efforts were rewarded with a tiger in a clearing waiting for him. Skidding to a halt before the creature, he collapsed to his knees. Relief sucked all tension and conflict out his pores leaving Hitsugaya Toshiro jittery, thankful, and exhausted.

“You finally found me,” Kungetsu said pleased while guiding the smaller being onto her back. Finding one’s zanpakuto was difficult, but to find one’s _second_ zanpakuto was excruciating. He could rest now. Afterall, he would need it, for their journey was only beginning.

Toshiro let sleep overtake him while Kungestu traversed her forest for the cave which led to the valley they both knew so well.

* * *

“You are weak and unfit to wield Hyorinmaru!” The ghost from her best friend’s past mocked. Their fight had been raging on for what seemed to be hours.

“Bullshit! You’re not even real!” She screamed. The verbal beratement had always landed harder than the other’s fake Hyorinmaru. Speaking of the dragon, he had disappeared from the immediate area.

The illusion used the self-imposed distraction to his advantage and added to the collection of cuts and slashes decorating the woman’s skin. Karin roared and charged at the man. But, her attack was futile and resulted in adding to her boiling frustration. Kungestu wouldn’t respond to her call, therefore limiting the young woman to just her zanpakuto’s sealed form.

“You’re pathetic.”

“Fuck off.”

“Oh, getting angry again? See how well that works for you.” Kusaka’s smirk crawled under her skin and made her muscles scream. Karin remembered hearing about this man and what he had done. She remembered finding a severely injured Toshiro in her house. She watched him fold his haori and say goodbye. The reminder of the suffering he caused the green-eyed boy only added to her frustration. Without answering the enemy in front of her, she lunged forward and swung aimlessly.

Ruby red stained the snow below as Kusaka had landed a particularly nasty hit across her stomach. Legs trembled as Karin grabbed around herself unsure if more than blood would fall onto the blue-hue below.

“You were always weak.” Kusaka slowly approached with more knowledge than he should have had. “You could have done more. You know it. Protected your family more.” He was playing with his prey and she knew, but the creation of ice’s words were all too real. Tears stabbed the edges of her eyes as childhood doubts of never being enough rooted and bloomed.

“You act so tough, but you really just are a weak bitch, aren’t you.” He stopped in front of the woman whose eyes had glossed over.

“Even if you were worth something, you would live in your brother’s shadow. So, what even is the point. Not strong like Ichigo nor caring like Yuzu. You’re just a waste. The insufferable child.” She was so still, so frozen, it wouldn’t be so far-fetched to mistake her for a dead mountain climber approaching a summit too steep. Kusaka grabbed her chin forcing the statue to look him in the eye, “He thinks you’re pitiful, and you know it.”

He was too close. His cold breath danced across the curves of her face in a much too intimate way for her liking. He shoved her away with a scoff. Little did he know, the emotions, memories, fears, nightmares which had bloomed in her heart had frozen over because Kurosaki Karin knew better. She knew those fears and feelings had once belonged to her. She didn’t shy away from them, but rather had embraced and inspected each one. While his words caused a bloom, her personal growth would weed out those bad flowers in hopes for a super bloom of confidence and self-assurance she was close to achieving.

The image of Kuaska may have been right. But, he wasn’t _anymore_. Age had not only treated her kindly in a physical sense but also mentally. Through her friends support, Karin was able to explore her anxieties and learn to grow from them in college. Yes, she was and would never be as powerful and Ichigo or as motherly as Yuzu or even as hard-working as Toshiro, but she could be the best version of herself. That’s what she could be, and that was something she wanted. The best part was the fact that it was achievable with time and effort. Plus, even though she still had plenty work to do, Karin knew deep down she was a beautiful, smart, strong woman. She was enough. No one could change that.

The molten core of her insides cooled as her resolve flash froze her previous demons. Karin’s breath slowed, body relaxed, and deep charcoal eyes met with the crimson eyes of her attacker.

“Oh? Did I strike a chord?”

“You did.” Her honesty and level tone sparked shock in Kusaka’s body which limited his response time. More pristine snow was stained red but this time, with another’s blood. “But even if you did, it doesn’t mean you’re right.” With a final slash, the body in front of her reverted back to snow and scattered across the ground soon to match the rest of the world around her.

Wordlessly, the dragon swooped into her line of vision aware of what was to come. So, when her adrenaline wore off, he was there to catch her and gently carry her back towards the valley.

His embrace was cool and soothed her badly beaten body. Eyelids heavy, she tried to keep her grip on the dragon who soared through the sky.

Once they had arrived, the last observation Karin made before finally losing consciousness was that she was now in someone’s arms. The dragon ignored the other two presences eagerly watching them and walked to the lake. The woman in his grip deserved his full attention at the moment.

“Wait.” Kungestu, who had also opted for her humanoid form, stopped the excited man with a single outstretched hand. Toshiro looked at the maroon-haired woman confused.

“What is he doing?”

“Healing her.”

His cerulean gaze snapped back to his zanpakuto who was currently standing in the lake holding his best friend bridal style. A light blue aura surrounded them. After a few minutes, the soft-spoken dragon turned around with a now awake and grinning Karin in his arms. He continued to carry the woman despite her protests all the way to the tiger and his original wielder. Kungetsu hugged Hyorinmaru squishing Karin in the process to which caused the black-haired woman to yet again try to escape the teal-haired man’s grasp. Toshiro couldn’t help but smile at their antics. Hyorinmaru had been right. This had strengthened all of their bond.

After finally allowing Karin out of his grip, Hyorinmaru and Kungestu left the soul reapers to talk and retreated for their own privacy. Toshiro hurriedly asked Karin what happened which led to the two recounting what had just happened to each other although not with every detail intact.

After what had to be only 20 minutes, the tattooed woman walked up, “Ok kiddos, you should probably go to sleep, or at least you, missy, need to because we both know you haven’t started that report due Sunday.”

“Damn since when are you my keeper? Also, I’ve have already outlined the paper!”

“Still!”

“She is right, getting enough sleep is important. It is also necessary for growth.” Karin and Kungestu really tried not to laugh at Hyorinmaru blatant staring at Toshiro who had turned several shades of pink.

“He- Hey!”

Ah, but they couldn’t and ended up laughing at poor Toshiro’s expense.

* * *

Saturday morning was fairly uneventful to say the least. Karin rolled out of bed at 10 and went to check in on Yuzu.

“Morning.”

The normally chipper twin grummpled in response.

“That bad huh?” Karin knew first hand how shitty hangovers could be, and judging by her twin’s huddled position and trash can next to her bed, Karin assumed it would be a day of sleep for her twin.

“Mwhf hate this.”

“I know, let me get you some medication?” Karin padded back to the kitchen filling a glass with water and grabbed saltines for good measure. She also noted the sleeping form still on the couch and shoved any feelings from yesterday morning from her mind. “Here these should help with the migraine. Let me know if you need anything ok?”

Yuzu mumbled something incoherent before obediently taking the medication.

Once Karin was sure she was comfortable and nearing sleep, she headed back to her room after making some coffee.

The assignment she needed to complete stared back at her in the form of a messy word document of ideas and “EXAMPLE HERE” notes. Coffee in hand, she sighed and began working.

An hour later, Toshiro came into her room dressed in his shihakusho.

“I’m going to head out for a bit.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the doorframe much too comfortably.

“Oh? Where are you going?” She couldn’t imagine him leaving without his gigai, let alone when there wasn’t a hollow present.

“Sightseeing.” He shrugged. “I don’t get to be in the city very often.”

“Have fun then.” Karin turned back to the almost finished paper on her laptop while Toshiro moved to leave.

“Wait! I want to go with!” Kungetsu called to both the soul reapers. Since the other night, both zanpakuto could now communicate with either of them as long as they were within a certain proximity to each other. It had been quite shocking to Toshiro and Karin as the swords asked to be set next to each other during the night.

Toshiro turned to face the hard-working student waiting for her answer. While he could technically wield the fire-type zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru was still his primary sword. Kungetsu was still Karin’s zanpakuto. Therefore, it was still her call.

“Sure,” said woman shrugged.

“Are you sure? Our zanpakuto are an extension of our souls, so-”

“Which I share with you.” It wasn’t meant to be a confession, but it ended up sounding vaguely like one. They both turned rosy. Hyorinmaru and Kungetsu were soulmates; that was a fact. But, it didn’t mean they were right? “I trust you, so it’s fine. Plus, she would just bitch the whole time you’re gone anyway.” Karin added while moving to switch places with Aki in order to retrieve her weapon. She hoped her nonchalant demeanor would lessen the tension between them. She handed him the short sword and watched as he tied it onto himself. Unlike last a few nights ago, there was no shock from handling the other’s sword. Instead, it was uncomfortably intimate. The gentle manner in which he handled her zanpakuto warmed her skin in ways she didn’t think possible.

“I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Forcing her eyes back to the neglected word document to halt whatever feelings were appearing, she hummed in response to his farewell.

* * *

Sunday night rolled around much faster than anticipated. Toshiro would leave the next morning while the twins were busy, so this was effectively the last time they would really see him other than his sleeping form on the couch.

“Ok, I should probably get back to work. I hope we get to see you soon Hitsugaya-kun!” Yuzu chirped after cleaning her dishes. Her hangover from the day before had now gone away, but at the cost of precious work time. Which is why at the moment, only half or so of her assignments had been completed.

He nodded unsure when he would be able to return, but both the twins knew this. Yuzu gave the young man one last smile before fully retreating back into her room.

“Alright come on,” Karin hooked an arm around his leading him to the couch, “I promise you’ll like this show.”

Karin flipped on The Witcher and settled back into the plush couch. The rest of the night was filled with Karin explaining the time skips of the show and Toshiro commenting on the fight scenes. At one point they even paused the show in order to watch and sing along to toss a coin to your witcher. Smiles and laughs graced their lips as one episode turned to two, then three. At some point, Karin noticed exactly how much of her body was pressed against the now sweater clad man next to her.

His left arm rested on the couch behind her. The tips of his hair tickled the top of her head, and she wondered if eventually he would rest his head on hers rather than just tilt it towards her. Her own body was nestled flush against his, and somehow her legs were draped across his lap. His right hand rested above her knee and sometimes drew middles patterns across her skin. How they ended up like _this_ was beyond her.

Her heart began to speed up at the current situation she was in, so she attempted to refocus on the show in front of them. They were on a good episode anyway, but it seemed no matter how beautiful the filming or amazing the choreography of the Striga fight, Karin couldn’t focus.

The striga lunged at Geralt yet again as an eerie presence appeared. The beeping of a cell phone only confirmed Karin’s saving grace. A hollow. Toshiro groaned both at the interruption of the show and the moment he was trying so hard to not overthink.

“I got it!” Said woman popped up pausing the show.

“No, it’s my job.” the captain grumbled standing in his true form.

“It’s not like I can’t handle myself, Toshiro.” Stubborn as always, Karin strode back towards the Rilakkuma who resided in her room.

“I never said that.” He sighed, phone beeping again. Two hollows. Nothing he couldn’t handle, but he knew better than to fight with the substitute.

“Yuzu! We’ll be right back,” Karin called to the quincy and moved to hop out her window knowing a white haori would follow.

The hollows were only a block apart from each other and looked to be wandering aimlessly. It almost appeared they were lost? Toshiro noticed this odd behavior and called to the substitute who was already moving towards the further monster, “Stay close to me. Something’s off.”

Normally, Karin would do anything to disobey that ‘order’ from him, but something in his voice told her to be obedient. She had to agree, the hollows before them looked… purposeless.

The two stopped on a roof of a taller building and observed the hulking monsters sway awkwardly. The dark pits for eyes scanned around finding nothing but Tokyo’s nightlife. It was odd. The closer monster spotted the two of them and released an ear numbing shriek signaling to the other hollow.

Toshiro readied his blade flashing a silent command to the woman behind him to remain where she was. Karin didn’t listen and flash stepped to one of the rapidly monsters. Toshiro huffed following.

The captain and substitute worked in tandem and dealt with the hollows quickly without having to release shikai. It made the two monster’s previous actions even more peculiar.

“Were they… waiting for us?” Karin asked while watching the second hollow dissipate into oblivion.

“I don’t know.” He looked into the air as the last remnants of the beast faded away. Karin had a point; the hollows were definitely not interested in anything other than them. The presence of nearby untouched pluses explained that much. It was puzzling and led the captain to wonder if something or someone else was behind this. Then, suddenly, a feint presence pricked at the back of his mind. “Karin!”

She would have thought with all her training, her reflexes would have gotten better, but it all happened in the blink of an eye. A body, undoubtably Toshiro’s, pressed against her and fire deflected an unknown user’s kido which fizzled out on the concrete. The both looked in awe at the flames which were not produced by her blade but by its other half.

However, there was no time to think about what the prodigy had just done before another kido spell hurled towards them. Toshiro deflected again, this time with ice, still straining to see who was there.

“Break, Kungetsu.” He heard Karin mumble behind him. They were now back to back rapidly scanning for their attacker.

A third kido spell zipped towards the pair only to be blocked, yet again, by Toshiro. Karin let out a strained sound causing him to spin around. His heart stopped, _please don’t be hurt._

He calmed at the sight before him. The chain of her scythes was wrapped around one of her arms as if she were wrapping up cable, and the other end wrapped into the darkness of an alley leaving their opponent still hidden. _Thank god._ He readied his blade and prepared to walk forward.

“Encase.” Toshiro stopped in his tracks. Karin was working on instinct as he had done moments before. Where fire erupted at the call of engulf, ice appeared instead, effectively gluing their attacker down at the other end. To say Toshiro was impressed would be an understatement.

A slow laugh emmitted from the alley, and once the sound died down, the chain went slack. Ice crashed like glass onto the city streets below. _God damnit._

“That can’t be good.”

“Not at all.” He sighed knowing his vacation would have to end in a report.

The two cautiously returned to the twin’s apartment discussing whatever just happened. But, as if things couldn’t get possibly worse, they were greeted by a teary-eyed Yuzu.

“Yuzu! What happened!? Are you ok!” Karin slammed into her body and wrapped herself around her sister. Hungover, stressed, and now crying? It had been an eventful weekend for the lighter-haired twin.

“Orihime c-called. Ka-Kazui is missing.” Yuzu sobbed into her sister’s shoulder, and Karin’s heart plummeted. For Kazui to be missing would mean his spiritual pressure was gone. Kazui. Sweet little Kazui was… gone. Tears stung her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. Not until Yuzu was ok, and she was alone. Karin led them to sit on the couch in the living room. Toshiro leaned against the dining room table to give them some space. He had an inkling this was going to involve the Soul Society in one way or another.

“Did they say anything else?” Karin angled her body towards Yuzu, desperate for answers.

“Ichigo said we needed to stay in school and t- to be careful. They think someone took him li- like a soul reaper or something.” She hiccuped, tears already threatening to bubble over again.

“Hey, it’s ok Yuzu. Rukia and Orihime both went missing, and Ichigo found them. He will find Kazui, ok?”

Yuzu nodded wile wiping tears away, “I’m going to go finish my work.”

Her sister nodded knowing all too well what using school as an emotional coping mechanism looked like. She would go check on her later.

Once the now sniffling Yuzu had closed her door, Karin looked to her best friend. Her silent plea was rewarded as he pulled her close. She despised feeling weak, especially when it came to protecting her loved ones. He knew this and gently stroked her back, “We’ll find him.”

His words broke the dam in her heart causing tears to flow. He whisked her away to her bedroom and held her as years of weight lifted off her shoulders. Undoubtably, he would be deployed to help find the small child, so for tonight, Toshiro decided to only focus on the woman in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is about to start, so this fic will prob update less frequently once classes start up. I promise I am finishing this fic tho - I am stubborn and have outlined the rest of the story, so it will happen! Just probably slower now!


	15. Corruption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been a while! School has been kicking my ass - zoom university ain't it coach. That being said, here is a short chapter - updates will be insanely slow, but I'm sure y'all understand.
> 
> p.s. I watched Burn the Witch last week and wow! The animation! It makes me so excited for Bleach to come back!

“What. The. Fuck!” Groans and a smattering of profanities greeted Orihime as she shuffled into the house. The culprit, her husband, stood in the living room practically ripping himself in half.

“Honey? Oh my god!” The last few days had been horrible to put it lightly. The orange haired couple were husks of themselves, the pits of their stomachs filled with lead. When anxiety subsided, anger and initiative took hold – as was the case right now.

“I have to-” but the sorrow always returned.

With a snap, Ichigo’s soul returned to his body allowing him to crumple into his wife sobbing. It was hopeless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fully get into his soul reaper form.

Orihime did her best to lead the man back into their bedroom for another night full of tears and restlessness. She prayed, just as she did every night, that Urahara would find a lead.

* * *

Screams punctured the woman’s soul and jolted her awake. She found herself alone. The side where Ichigo was supposed to be was still warm and illuminated by the clock which read 5:48 AM.

A cry of struggle erupted through the house once again. _Ichigo._

Orihime snagged her hairpins in case any of her husband’s more animalistic powers reared their heads.

The man in question was once again in the living room, hunched over, clawing at himself.

“Ichigo!”

Before she could reach him, the room illuminated purple with a crack of a whip as Ichigo did what he did best: the impossible.

His black shihakusho was hard to see but the sickly purple tinge kept him from being invisible in the dark room.

“What is that?”

“I,” he attempted to even his breathing, “I don’t know…” The two continued to stare are the discoloration of the clothing and skin perturbed by its presence.

“We should see Mr. Urahara.” Orihime turned to gather acceptable clothing knowing that this trip wouldn’t be a quick one. It was weird. Ichigo tearing himself apart into his soul reaper form should have worried her sick… Sure, the weird purple thing on his arm was alarming, but knowing her husband, he could probably overcome it. But, a shihakusho clad Ichigo was one who could help her find their son. Determination set into her brow as the two moved to wake the shop keeper up before his alarm. Whatever this was, they weren’t going to let it stop them from bringing Kazui home god damnit.

* * *

Urahara greeted the couple outside of the shop as if expecting their presence, “Good morning~” he tilted his head down, shadows revealing a much more serious face, “You two should come inside.”

The shop owner moved purposely to a latch they all knew well. The basement had not changed at all since the last time Ichigo stepped foot in it, but he didn’t have much time to reminisce about his youth before Urahara spoke again.

“We might know where Kazui is, but there is no guarantee he is safe.” He led them back into the basement where Tessai and Yoruichi were, a gate like structure no bigger than a normal door behind them.

“Do you know what is on your arm Kurosaki?” He nodded to the purple film with the brim of his bucket hat, and when the man made no attempt to speak, continued, “There are several realms in this world. The Soul Society and Hell being two of them. There is one which very little is known about called the Plane of Corruption. That,” he gestured to the almost bruise-like skin once again, “is a sign of contamination. Your spiritual pressure combined with your quincy and hollow powers should naturally expel any corruption, but -“

“Kazui might not…” Orihime’s voice was barely over a whisper.

“Exactly.” Urahara grimaced at the thought of what could have happened to the little boy and turned toward the strongly normal structure, “Like I said, very little is known about the Plane od Corruption, however, I was able to pick up feint traces of corruptive energy around Karakura town. I can’t say for certain Kazui is there, but…” he looked over his shoulder at the husband and wife, “I’m pretty sure he is.”

“How do get there? Though that?” Ichigo’s seriousness was as sharp as his blade.

“Yes.” Urahara moved towards Yoruichi and opened the gateway. An oblong portal appeared on the surface of the door structure and emanated a deep purple glow. “This should stay open, but still be a quick as you can.”

The two nodded at the warning and ran into the unknown unaware as to what was to come.

* * *

“What did you find?”

“The imbalance between the realms has become significantly severe, and it is estimated the rate of disparity will steadily increase by .5%.”

“Fascinating. Anything else?”

“Those reported missing experienced faintly glowing contusions followed by hallucinations prior to disappearing. There is no information on how it is spread however.”

The man hummed at this new information. “Any reports in the Seireitei?”

“Only a handful.”

“Keep the situation monitored. I’ll alert the head captain if cases increase.” Kurotsuchi gleamed to himself; this would be a new frontier for his research.

“Yes sir.” Akon bowed to his captain and returned to his lab filled with monitors computing the coordinates to the realm in question: The Plane of Corruption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I trying to figure out ways to put Akon in this story? Yes. Will I try to keep him around as much as possible in this story? Also yes. He deserves more love!


	16. Into the Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Wow what an overload of a semester - Zoom University sucks ass!! Hope you all enjoy this chapter! I am hoping to write more, but will all this screen time lately, I've been taking breaks from my computer. Sooooo uploads will still be erratic, but hopefully I can push a chapter or two out before spring semester starts! I've vaguely outlined the rest of the story, and ya we kinda in for the long haul haha. Buckle up!
> 
> p.s. I didn't proof read this soooooo enjoy that ;)

_Bzzzz. Bzzzzz._

_Bzzzz. Bzzzzz._

Karin half-consciously snagged the vibrating phone off her nightstand. _Whoever is calling me this early on a Saturday morning better have something good to say,_ she grumbled to herself.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Karin, good morning.”

“Morning.” _Urahara. Of course._

“I have a message from your brother.” Karin sat up, rubbing her eyes. Whatever this was, it couldn’t be good. “Him and Orihime left to hopefully bring Kazui home. He explicitly asked me to tell you and Yuzu to stay in school and not to worry.”

“I’m guessing he’s not in the World of the Living then, if he asked you to say that.”

Ichigo really did know his sisters well. If the twins had not been in school they would have demanded to jump headfirst into danger alongside him.

“You’re getting sharper by the day, Karin,” a tinge of pride snuck out of her former teacher’s voice. “They went to the Plane of Corruption, one of the many realms associated with existence.”

 _What an edgy name,_ she thought while stifling a yawn as the sun slowly began to peak into the sky, “How long will they be gone? Is it dangerous?” She pulled the phone away to quickly check the time. 7:08 AM.

“Not long, and yes, it could be.” There were secrets in his answer. The man on the other end of the phone was not giving her all the information, but she decided to not worry too much about it. Urahara was a man of secrets but not one to deliberately hurt those he knew. If it was something she needed to know, he would tell her. “Try not to worry. We will keep you updated.”

Muffled rage erupted from the line until they blasted into Karin’s ears, “And if you or your sister even _think_ about coming here, I will personally drag you back. Stay. In. school.”

“I will! I will.” She exclaimed, practically feeling Yoruichi’s eyes narrowing until reaching resolve. Karin had to admit, she might have been thinking if it were possible to take a few days off… But if Urahara and Yoruichi were both telling her and Yuzu to stay out of it, then there must have been a good reason. God, if it didn’t make her want to rush home more though!

_What the hell is even going on?_

With a few last words, the line disconnected leaving the substitute soul reaper to crash back into her pillow and let a few more hours of sleep claim her.

* * *

“Captain-”

“I know.” Kurotsuchi narrowed his gaze at the monitors. A pang of what he believed could be worry struck his gut before disappearing. Akon had been closely tracking disappearances for the last several days but with the increase in missing soul reapers and this new information, the two knew it was time to alert everyone else. A shame really. It was always harder to conduct research under the eyes of the masses.

Sure, a few soul reaper disappearances weren’t really a loss, but the spiritual pressures they were able to pick up through preliminary testing were. Lieutenant Abarai, Lieutenant Kira, and Captain Kuchiki’s spiritual pressures had all been recognized along with trace amounts of Kurosaki Ichigo’s. It was perplexing. None of them had been reported missing yet…

“My, my, how interesting.” The 12th division captain began to leave in order to summon a hell butterfly; the head captain needed to be informed of this development.

Akon returned to his work readying a way into and to monitor inside the new realm assuming they were going to be needed soon. Other scientists buzzed around him fast-tracking as many tests as they could. The research division knew once word got out and soul reapers were dispatched, it was up to them to keep everything afloat.

However, despite as hard as they all worked, it wasn’t fast enough. By nightfall a team of soul reapers were ready to jump face first into danger through a barely stable portal and passable trackers.

Akon slightly scowled at the monitor in front of him as a last minute back up plan softly glowed back at him. “It’ll have to do,” a barely audible sigh left his mouth.

* * *

_Bzzzz. Bzzzzz._

_Bzzzz. Bzzzzz._

A soft thunk and swish of papers.

“God damnit.” Karin snatched her phone out of the mess of her notes which she had so graciously flung off the desk. Without checking, she began picking up her now unorganized notes and answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Karin.”

“Toshiro?” Her actions briefly halted. He hadn’t contacted her since Kazui went missing two weeks ago.

He hummed in response and added, “I’m being sent on a mission.”

“Is this the same one with Ichigo and Orihime?” Karin resumed collecting the fallen papers and organizing them.

There was a slight pause. “Yes, how di-”

“Urahara.”

“Ah.”

“Ya.”

The pause this time was long and the slightest bit awkward. Neither knew what to say next. How dangerous was this mission, actually? Were they positive Kazui would be there? Alive?

Another question flooded Karin’s mind which she decided to voice, “Is this related to that mission Rukia and Renji went on?”

“Yes.” His response was short but unbeknownst to her, the captain was impressed, “I’ll explain later. I have to go.”

“Ok, be safe.”

“I will.”

She continued to hold the cell phone to her ear after her friend had hung up. She knew it was better to just trust those around her, but damn, if the lack of details weren’t freaking her out more!

“It’ll be ok.” Kungetsu attempted to consul, but the anxiety of the situation had already begun to settle in. She took note of the time and went to talk to her sister. She would know what to do, and after the 20 minutes she had promised herself, it was back to the books. Luckily, this practical exam could serve as a much-needed distraction.

* * *

“Captain Hitsugaya.”

The man in question turned towards the voice at his door, “Lieutenant Abarai.”

“Ready to go?” The red head remained stern further solidifying the gravity of the situation to the captain.

“Yes.” The two left squad 10 and headed towards the 12th division knowing this mission wouldn’t be easy, especially when the brief they received was convoluted and vague.

Toshiro ran through the plan, if one could even call it that, one more time in his head. Enter the plane of whatever-it-was-called, assemble the sensors and stabilizers created by the research division, find the Kurosakis, get the hell out. Definitely an easier plan in concept than reality.

The rest of the walk became a blur to the captain until he stepped through the link to the unknown dimension. All he remembered while he went through the motions was that the 12th division was a jumble of researchers, screens, and papers, and being handed the devises which needed to be secured. Unabashedly, his thoughts had drifted to the woman he had called.

Karin was a strong person, he knew this, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about her. Even though she would never admit it out loud, family meant the world to her. He only wished he would have been able to go to her or bring her along or something other than this. Not to mention if the situation were reversed, no one would question Ichigo bailing out of school to join, but he would never voice that opinion.

Toshiro shook himself of his wandering mind and refocused on the task at hand. After all, there was no question if the substitute could take care of herself. Akon had been explaining the plan again while another team of researchers stabilized the portal. Once he was done, the two soul reapers leapt into the darkness.

* * *

“Isn’t this homey?” The sarcasm in Renji’s tone was undeniable.

The sunset was unrelenting, and the unmistakable stench of decay hung in the air. Ruins of a forgotten civilization scattered the grassy plane and casted long, impossibly dark shadows. Everything was still. Quiet.

“We should get a move on.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Captain."

The two began securing the stabilizers provided and placing sensors where instructed, the easier part of their mission. The only sound and movement seeming to be them.

Once they were done, a spike of spiritual pressure pang through the air like a beacon. It was Ichigo.

The two soul reapers began to flash step towards the source, trepidation sinking into Toshiro’s bones. _This is going too smoothly_.

The shadows on the plane increased as the two traveled its expanse. However, it was no longer buildings who created the stretches of darkness, but people too. Souls of all types stood like trees in the grass. Glossy eyes stared into nothingness with backs facing the forever setting sun.

Looks of confusion were exchanged as the two continued towards where they knew the immensely powerful substitute soul reaper was, careful to not hit any of the statue-like souls along the way.

The spiritual pressure led them to a building only a few stories high which was impossibly dark inside. Wordlessly, Renji and Toshiro moved towards the sounds of combat which felt defining in a place so void of everything.

“Where is he?” A voice rang out sharper than any blade. A voice which did not belong to Ichigo.

Said man had a soul reaper pinned to the wall who Orihime continued to stab with her gaze. The pinned soul reaper was indistinguishable. His eyes were glossed over and face vaguely blurred. His shihakusho were also a deep purple rather than black.

A sickly grin split across the unknown soul reaper’s face, “In the dark.” Ichigo grit his teeth and further pressed Zangetsu into the man’s neck.

“Ichigo.” Renji’s voice pierced the scene, finally alerting everyone of him and Toshiro’s presence. The pinned soul reaper took advantage of the distraction and attempted to flee until a flash of orange blocked his escape and a sword ripped through his back. Orihime and Ichigo had become quite the team over the years. Toshiro admired that, even if he wasn’t quite sure the being who had now melted into the floor needed to be slain.

“We’re here to help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously let me know how you feel about this whole corruption side plot thingy because I am not sure how much I want to flesh it out or if I want to side line it so we can hop into more normal everyday life kinda stuff.


End file.
